Curious about NICU??

[Lilkay4]

Hello, I am about to start my nursing program next semester towards my BSN! I am very excited and also have a passion for babies which is what got me into nursing to begin with.

I have always babysat and found myself gravitating towards babies all the time! I know that I am in love with babies, and would like to take my passion into nursing and believe I would like to work in a NICU or something to this sort.

I guess my question is.. being that I've always cared for healthy babies, tho i'm well aware of the potential losses that may come.. I'm not sure how to word it..the best I can ask is how do you cope with the loss??

If ayone would be willing to share experiences that you've had .. both good and/or bad ..

ALSO if you are able to still live a normal life with your family or has anyone not been able to cope, and had it affect their at home life???

I think these are my biggest concerns, and I know that I will never know until (if i am fortunate enough) to be there myself.. but I think that learning through other peoples experiences may also help..

Thank You

~And I have to say I am SO EXCITED that I found this NICU forum.. I have had so many questions for those forunate to work there!!!

[NICU_babyRN, BSN, RN]

i don't know if this helps at all, but the one thing i always keep in mind is that the percentage of babies who are seen in the nicu is a very small percentage of all babies born. and then an even smaller percentage of the babies in the nicu have a poor prognosis.

it's not easy dealing with the losses or the babies who don't have a chance to live a good life. but for each of those babies there are 10 who go out of the nursery and come back to visit and you would never know they were once a premie.

i don't have family, so i can't say it is hard to lead a normal life. nicu for me is what i love to do. there are soooooooo many pregnant nurses in my unit and they all say it's a bit scary, but they love their job. as a professional, you learn to leave work at work.

i hope this helps.

nicu is awesome.

[preemieRNkate, RN]

I agree with Addy. There are so many babies born in the world every day, we only see a few. And of the few who go to NICU, it's even less who don't make it or do very poorly. There is a delicate balance that you have to find where you have to leave your work at work but you can't become so hardened where the losses don't affect you. It's ok to cry and to attend funerals of those babies you have cared for, but you do have to go on with your own life. I work with a very supportive group of people, and we have all sat around and talked about the babies we have lost, cried about them and attended funerals together. I don't talk much to my non-NICU friends and family about it. They don't get it like my coworkers do. They know that sometimes I come home and I cry and I will tell them that I am sad because a baby died, but it's much easier to talk it over with people that know what really goes on.

Best of luck to you in nursing school!