Critically Ill Obstetrics Patients and Newborn Visitation

[raininghere]

What is your experience with postpartum patients and infant visitation? We are having two issues in my ICU right now, first is that we're having difficulty getting the mother-baby nurses to let the stable infants visit their moms in ICU. Second, once the mother is discharged from ICU, their policy prohibits her from returning to the post-partum unit - she must go to a med/surg unit (and therefore cannot room-in with the infant). This is especially distressful for 1st time moms since they usually cannot learn infant care prior to infant discharge. The rational for this policy is that after ICU, these patients are "dirty." To clarify, we keep the moms on the neurosurgical ICU part (the "clean" unit). Is there any research backing this up? Thanks!

[XingtheBBB, BSN, RN]

They're cleaner than a lot of patients I've seen come into OB!

That teaching is important. Sounds like you're in a bigger hospital to have these sick OB patients... we get them only rarely. I've worked in some (smaller) hospitals where Peds floors took certain adult populations, often GYNies. Would it be possible for Moms and their babies to go there? Last time we had an OB patient, she was not mine, but I ended up spending more time in there than her regular nurse since I had the postpartum/nursery/peds experience to do the teaching and this lady clearly needed it! I'm not begrudging her that teaching, I wanted her to have it, but it really wasn't a fair arrangement- for anyone.

[stressgal, RN]

Our facility provides visits for newborns to the moms residing in ICU, when it happens. Usually a couple of times a year. I cannot understand how the "newer" ICU's are considered dirty. We are not a ward but private rooms. Reverse airflow in each room, if needed. We care for fewer patient's, therefore having less contact and risk of cross contamination. Assignments are delegated based on such issues as well. Our moms are discharged from our ICU unit to postpartum.