helping pts after del

[jctiabecerra]

I am a charge nurse on a postpartum unit. My nurses seem to have the idea that it is rediculous for a patient(c/s included) to ask for help doing things. They get upset if the patient calls for help to get out of bed or get their crying baby out of bassinet. They complain when she requests help in bathroom ect. Is it me or is this not part of our jobs?

[NurseNora, BSN, RN]

When I was a young nurse, there was a saying, "You have to baby the mother before she can mother her baby." Don't know if that is still in fashion, but I've found starting off with lots of TLC goes a long way to getting a woman ready to start taking care of herself and her baby.

So very much of PP care is teaching and every patient request is an opportunity to teach the parents and family something new. A lot of places are going to hourly rounds (q2h at night) just to ask if everything is OK & if anything is needed. That and you making daily rounds, along with a reminder of the expectations of your staff nurses should help a little.

[LoveANurse09]

It's not fair for us newbies who would LOVE to have their jobs and yet they treat pts this way!

[pfongk]

When I had my son just over 10 weeks ago I actually got told off by one of the nurses for not asking for help with things, mainly the fact that I buzzed in the middle of the night for her to dispose of his nappy. She told me that I should've gotten her to change it because I was still in bed with an IV and Cath following my c-section. The nurses were coming into my room every hour or so just to check on me and see if I wanted anything. Mind you I also startled them by mobilising once my cath was out.

[dscrn]

I am a postpartum staff nurse that provides couplet care, and yes, I believe that the things you mentioned are a part of the job and should be done with a smile. Otherwise, these ladies would just go straight home after delivery. They wouldn't need us and we would be out of a job!

That being said, I do find it frustrating when I have a patient or family that doesn't want to learn how to care properly for their baby. I spend extensive time with my patients trying to teach them the basics they will need to know to care for their baby. Imagine my dismay when one couple I had( Postop Day 3) had avoided changing any diapers on their first baby! Yes, they admitted avoiding it to me. I made sure that they both could adequately perform a diaper change before going home!

Sorry for the small rant- I actually really love my job and my patient population is wonderful![/quoteI used to get "I don't need to know that, I'm having a baby nurse":nurse:

[jctiabecerra]

thanks everyone. Im doing an inservice next week on this and am planning on using some of the posts. Hopefully I can get everyone to remember why they became nurses.

[krenee]

I work in partpartum and I do hate being asked to do things that the patient is quite capable of doing herself. If she has to move a little more slowly, fine, but picking up a baby out of a crib is not a difficult thing the day after one has a baby (c-sections aside). It will take longer for me to get down there to do it, and frankly it's better for the mom to be up and moving a little bit. What if I'm in a room with another patient, it may take me awhile to get to you so the fact that you are slow is not that relevant. I also dislike being asked to change a diaper when there is a healthy new mom, a dad, and a grandparent in the room. I'm not a nanny, I'm a nurse. I don't complain at changing diapers when doing vital signs or anything else, but sometimes I want to use the "this is a hospital, not a hotel" saying. I don't want to bring snacks to the dad, but I don't mind bringing blankets & pillows for him, or snacks to the new mom. It's all relative. And yes, I do appreciate my job, I even like it.