How would your unit handle this?

[Kim44]

I work on an in patient oncology unit. When our census is down, we take overflow medical admissions. Recently, we had a 30 year old female admitted with pneumonia for IV antibiotics. After the ambulance dropped her off, we went in to assess her. We could see something moving under her blanket. We were thinking that she brought her cat or dog. It wasnt, it was her 6 month old son!! It turns out that her and her husband live about an hour away and he dropped his wife and the baby off in Emerg and went back home to care for the other kids. Now, its 0230, this woman is febrile and SOB. She has been started on antibiotics that arent safe for breastfeeding and she brought no diapers for this baby. We call Admin and they tell us to do the best we can, call peds for a crib and some formula etc...She was with us for 5 days!! Her hubby picked her up when she was discharged. We were expected to care for the patient and help her with the baby prn. No this is not a joke. Any thoughts??

[Kim44]

I forgot to mention that this baby was not mentioned by the paramedics or the ER nurse who gave report. Thanks for the feedback everyone. Administration has been pulling so much crap lately that it seems like the norm now. I just needed to hear from others that this isnt normal in the rest of the world.

[BadBird, BSN, RN]

Social services should have been paged stat, if her hubby couldn't take the baby then the baby should be placed in fostercare while the mother recovered. To expect the nurses to care for the baby is beyond ridiclious. The parents should have been told immediately that this was unacceptable and if the dad couldn't return them foster care was the next alternative. I can't believe the nerve of some people.

[Teshiee]

My first impression is how trifling the dad to leave that baby with his wife knowing she is ill. The professional side of me would be very concerned. A social service consult may be in order.

[Nurse Ratched, RN]

I will henceforth strike the following phrase from my vocabulary:

"Well now I've seen everything!"

Because every time I think I have, you all show me new depths of idiocy by the powers that be. Absolutely amazing. Nell hit it right on the nose. The father gets a call, and if he doesn't show up to get the kid, it's CPS to the rescue. I am NOT a babysitter. Anyone who is sick enough to be in the hospital is most certainly not well enough to have charge of an infant, and unless that infant is admitted and I lose my last shred of sanity and start working peds, that baby is not my responsibility.

I would have also refused assignment of the patient until this happened.

Lastly, I would have written up the staff who neglected to mention the stowaway on the gurney. Dumping crap like that on fellow staff members is totally unacceptable.

[sjoe]

Nurse Ratched: I agree completely. Well said, as usual.