It seriously makes me twitch when babies are in any hospital room besides the one where they are born. Especially tiny infants! Do people not understand that the hospital is full of sick people, some with MDROs that could kill that baby in an instant?!
When I see they're just visiting, I'll grit my teeth and wait until they leave. If the visit gets too long, or they and their parent try to spend the night with the pt (yes this happens to me a lot), I tell them they can't stay. Invariably they have no ride home by that time (I'm night shift) but I tell them after tomorrow, no more baby, and I explain why.
Some understand. Others whine that it makes Grammy feel soooooo good to see the wittle angel!! Sheesh. Does Grammy really wish her wittle angel harm?
Young children in the hospital bother me in general. Especially the parents who let their kids run and scream everywhere. Have had to ask parents to quiet their children and leave because we have sick patients who are trying to rest. Even if they aren't yelling sometimes they will have them running down the halls.
At least 1 but usually more of my patients are on isolation. I cringe when I see a cute toddler crawling around on the hospital floor. I just walked on that floor... And in a room with c-diff before that. So did the pct, physician, RT, ect...
A baby held in a mothers arms or in a carrier visiting for a while is not an issue. Kids well behaved at grandmas bedside don't bother me, I will often let them "listen" to grandmas heart or mine. I take issue with misbehaving, disruptive kids. I will point out that the floor is not the best place for a toddler, most parents are horrified when I remind them how sick many patients are and the germs their child could be getting.
Gray for me is a young mom asking for baby to stay the night. She is here for something minor. The last time I had this request was flu season and I said no. Actually, I've never said yes. I don't know if I ever will. It makes me nervous because what if something happens to mom, and we are left with baby to care for?
I do not understand. If children are left at the hospital for grandma or who ever the patient is, why isn't protective services called?
It would seem like that if children are left in that situation, then the authorities need to be notified that this family makes these kinds of bad choices for their children. They need to step in and talk to this family.
Well one could consider it natural selection in progress, thinning of the herd. Heaven knows there are some who should never be allowed to reproduce...so if their offspring don't survive, well....there ya go.
I once had a young family visiting a patient, and the mother was holding a squirmy baby. So she goes to put it on the floor, and when I saw those four limbs pointing down (crawling position), I instinctively said "STOP!" and put my hand up. Mom stopped mid-air, and I told her to please, for the love of all that's holy, do NOT put that baby down! She looked at me like I was off my rocker, and actually said "but this is a hospital, it's got to be sterile!"
That's right. Sterile. Just TOO--STUPID--to live.
Told her what was REALLY on that "sterile" floor, including the swiping of the floor recently of a confused patient's feces but housekeeping had not yet been up for the real mopping. Mom was shocked that we "allowed" the floor to get dirty like that.
I'm not a baby person, but children in general carry a lot of germs. I'm more worried about them giving something to my patients. And I work in the ICU. You would be surprised that there are some ICUs in our country that actually allow children! Ridiculous. It's not like a little 4 year old is gelling in and out.
"Well we don't smoke around him/her" The second biggest thing that ****** me off when they bring kids in and they reek to high hell of smoke. You know that kid was hotboxed the entire way to the hospital
LOL OK, I'm being a little dramatic. But only a little. I wanted to take my firstborn to our family doctor for regular care, and he wouldn't even see her before she was 6 months, because he didn't want her exposed to the waiting room. I know we are all washing our hands, etc., but the hospital is still full of sick, gross, germy stuff.
So your infant had no preventative care for the first 6 months of life?? I've never heard of this and I work primary care. I'm hoping someone came out to your home at least??
In regards to babies/toddlers on the hospital.. It's a bad idea. Either they are going to pick some germs up or give Grandma (who just had surgery) a nasty case of influenza, mono, strep, etc.
Again we must all remember that common sense is not that common.
I do not understand. If children are left at the hospital for grandma or who ever the patient is, why isn't protective services called?
It would seem like that if children are left in that situation, then the authorities need to be notified that this family makes these kinds of bad choices for their children. They need to step in and talk to this family.
CPS is overwhelmed with people who beat their children, don't feed them, or sell them to pedophiles to get their next fix. Let's not further tax their resources, taking away services from children who are TRULY in danger, by calling them for every dumb choice someone makes.
So your infant had no preventative care for the first 6 months of life?? I've never heard of this and I work primary care. I'm hoping someone came out to your home at least??
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I agree - babies need to be assessed way before 6 months. Maybe that doc made house calls?
When I had my first child, in 1983, there was a left-over consensus from my mother's generation that you didn't take a child out of the house for a long long time. My kid lived in a front-pack and went everywhere with us except of course a "sterile" hospital.
One time I was chastised by great-grandma for sitting on the floor to change a diaper because I could give my child pneumonia due to that draft of cold air that sits right above the floor. I just smiled at her and kept on changing the diaper and changed the subject.
Now, my youngest is 13 (born in 2001) and I'm a grandma (9 month old girl) and I'm the one giving advice . . . . unasked for advised.
One time I was chastised by great-grandma for sitting on the floor to change a diaper because I could give my child pneumonia due to that draft of cold air that sits right above the floor. I just smiled at her and kept on changing the diaper and changed the subject.
When my eldest was about four months old, in the heart and heat of summer, we had him in a baby swing on the front porch, wearing a onesie and he was happy just swinging away. Then MIL and FIL came to visit, saw The Heir like that (smiling, cooing, slapping his hands in air, toes wriggling) and flipped. He MUST have BLANKETS on him!!! Yessir, it was 90 degrees and the kid was happy catching the breeze, but BLANKETS there must BE! Did we want The Heir to catch PNEUMONIA?!
So they tossed and tucked I don't know how many yards of fabric on and around that kid, until he was sour-faced and crying. THEN, of course, they were done and I had a miserably hot baby on my hands.
Then MIL and FIL came to visit, saw The Heir like that (smiling, cooing, slapping his hands in air, toes wriggling) and flipped. He MUST have BLANKETS on him!!! Yessir, it was 90 degrees and the kid was happy catching the breeze, but BLANKETS there must BE! Did we want The Heir to catch PNEUMONIA?!
Oh my gosh . . .my mother-in-law gave my first-born son a "blanket fever" in the middle of summer by swaddling him in a thick blanket!!
Karou
700 Posts
Young children in the hospital bother me in general. Especially the parents who let their kids run and scream everywhere. Have had to ask parents to quiet their children and leave because we have sick patients who are trying to rest. Even if they aren't yelling sometimes they will have them running down the halls.
At least 1 but usually more of my patients are on isolation. I cringe when I see a cute toddler crawling around on the hospital floor. I just walked on that floor... And in a room with c-diff before that. So did the pct, physician, RT, ect...
A baby held in a mothers arms or in a carrier visiting for a while is not an issue. Kids well behaved at grandmas bedside don't bother me, I will often let them "listen" to grandmas heart or mine. I take issue with misbehaving, disruptive kids. I will point out that the floor is not the best place for a toddler, most parents are horrified when I remind them how sick many patients are and the germs their child could be getting.
Gray for me is a young mom asking for baby to stay the night. She is here for something minor. The last time I had this request was flu season and I said no. Actually, I've never said yes. I don't know if I ever will. It makes me nervous because what if something happens to mom, and we are left with baby to care for?