From NICU TO NICU...

[rn4booboo]

Seems like life has come full circle.

I started nursing school due to the experience of my son who was a nicu baby. He was a 27 weeker and was pretty ill with brain bleeds galore and more. Long story short- I decied to become a nurse-NOT NICU-though I wouldn't be able to handle it. I was going to be an ED nurse. Here I am an RN (new grad) and applying for jobs. I get this job and walk out happy (a ccu position.) I walk out of the hospital and my phone shows a message. It was from the local county hospital concerning a NICU position.

All at once I knew where I was supposed to be. I knew that the NICU was my way to pay back all the wonderful nurses who were there for us. It just clicked. I go in for the interview tomorrow and can't wait.

My question is.... how do you seperate or tolerate the losses?

[fergus51]

I have never been a mother, so maybe the losses are different for me. I can say that when a baby dies in the NICU it is always terribly sad, but I have comfort in knowing that it is usually for a good reason- that if that child survived it would be suffering. I don't know if that makes a lot of sense...

Anyways, good luck with the interview:)

[iceNICUnurse]

Most of the time when a baby dies in my NICU it is b/c something is terribly wrong with it. I always tell my self that the baby is better off with God then here. Not that I am a religius person or anything. Sometimes I also think of similar babies that lived and dont live a happy life at all now (our parents usually keep in tuch). I think this helps me to deal with the losses.

But in 99% of the cases everything is fine and eaven if things are hard the baby goes home with happy parents in the end.

I think you can be a great NICU nurse, you understand what the parents are going thrugh b/c you have been there.

[gypsyatheart]

Congratulations! Welcome to NICU nursing...it is wonderful!

[rn4booboo]

Had the interview today and it wen't great!! They want me to start in a few weeks.

Thank you all for the suggestions, I really appreciate it. This is a highly specalized unit and I will be proud to say I am a NICU nurse.

How bad was it when you started- geeze- how do you even get a good line on these guys! Needless to say, I feel great, but at the same time pretty scared.

[LydiaNN]

It is always sad when a baby dies, but as a NICU nurse, you will know that you did everything you could for that baby and his/her family in the time they were here. They will die having had someone care for and about them. NICU nursing is a breed onto itself. I work with lots of parents of NICU grads who keep in touch with those nurses for many years.

[lmorganmoore]

rn4booboo, Congratulations!!! You will be amazing - you have been there, done that. I myself am experienced in NICU both from a personal level (all three of my children labor at 25 weeks - they are now all healthy, active 11, 13 @ 16 year olds) and professionally - in a previous life I was a NICU phlebotomist and then patient-family counselor. I am now persuing my RN and want to be a NICU nurse. It was always sad when we lost a baby, but in the NICU I was in we would put angel pins on each isolete and whenever we lost a child we would say that they had earned their wings. It was somewhat comforting. Also we would rock the babies as they were in the process of dying so they would not have to die alone. That in itself was a comfort also. I found that I always felt as if I had received more from these babies than I ever gave - it was an honour and a blessing to be a part of their lives no matter how brief. Hope this helps. Lynda

[neonatalRN]

Hi, I am in a similar situation. My son was in a NICU for 5 weeks last year, and died there. He was very sick. I am halfway through nursing school, and I know I want to work in the NICU! I have thought about your question a lot, and I just know for me that watching another baby die could never be as hard as watching my own die, so I think I will be fine. Good luck to you!