Is this an outdated visitation policy?

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Specializes in Med-surg; OB/Well baby; pulmonology; RTS.

My brother and his wife had their baby boy this am at 30 wks due to a placental abruption. He has RDS and is on the vent.

I'm going tomorrow to see my brother and his family but I've been told that I will not get to see my nephew in the NICU. My mom told me that only the parents, grandparents and a pastor/priest are allowed to visit :confused: and no one else can see him, even with a parent.

I'm not a NICU nurse but all 3 of my children were premature and the NICU where my children stayed allowed all visitors (except siblings under the age of 3 and other children under the age of 14), as long as they were with a parent. Grandparents had a certain time period each shift where they could visit without a parent.

I understand about infection and noise control. And I would never dream of going into the NICU by myself to see a child (besides my own). I know I can see pictures of him but the nurse in me would like to see him for myself. They do have windows but unfortunately he is the baby that is farthest from the window.

I just don't understand how a pastor/priest could visit over a blood relative. I understand patients (and their parents) need to have their spiritual needs met but they can go in when immediate family can not? I'm just curious if this visitation policy is outdated or is this what NICUs are going to start doing.

Thank you in advance for your input!

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Specializes in Nurse Scientist-Research.

I've never heard of such a restricted policy EXCEPT when the unit is cohorted due to an outbreak of something like MRSA or RSV. Then, even children without the infection are cohorted for a while until they test negative.

Maybe you could check into getting some on-line ordination as some kind of minister. I mean that kind of tongue in cheek but it might actually work.

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Specializes in Neonatal ICU (Cardiothoracic).

I agree. At my last unit, NO ONE except for parents could visit during an RSV outbreak unless the baby was preparing for a celestial discharge.

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Specializes in NICU.

Sounds quite restrictive to me. Makes me wonder what might be going on in the unit like, as others have said, some kind of outbreak.

Then again, our unit has a free-for-all visiting policy known as "nurse's discretion." Of course, if you exercise your discretion in a way that makes any family member unhappy, expect to get called into the principal's office for a chat about Family-Centered Care.

Seriously, we didn't make a single restriction even during a MRSA outbreak that saw a third of the babies on contact isolation. The only change was that parents of multiples had to gown between babies.

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Specializes in OT, Palliative, ICU, NICU, Wound Care,.

Yes, sounds harsh to me.

Our visitation policy is:

Both parents and 2 visitors at a time

Sibilings are the only children allowed into visit the baby except if they are have a cold

If a mild cold in a parent then they wear masks

We would encourage parents to not come if they can cope with that

No visitors with colds or any kind of illness

Visitors are NOT encouraged to touch the babies

All visitors wash hands prior to entering our unit

Anyone who has smoked just prior to entering the unit does not touch or hold the baby including the parents

Parents are allowed to determine who they wish to visit the baby. It is not the nurses decision. The only time we get funny is if parents just have so many people visiting - it is hard to maintain other parents privacy if there are too many people flowing in and out. Also, the more visitors the more exposure the babies can have to various colds/flus.

I would go to the unit manager and your sister can voice ther feelings of importance that you are involved with the baby. If this does not work - go to the medical staff. Sometimes we have to deal with really unrealistic and ignorant parents and visitors and those rules are put in place to set standards. I know that sounds harsh but some parents are so difficult and will have loads of their friends roaming in and out several times per day. I am sure if you are reasonable and discuss it with the nurse manager you can visit.

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Specializes in NICU Level III.
Yes, sounds harsh to me.

Our visitation policy is:

Both parents and 2 visitors at a time

Sibilings are the only children allowed into visit the baby except if they are have a cold

If a mild cold in a parent then they wear masks

We would encourage parents to not come if they can cope with that

No visitors with colds or any kind of illness

Visitors are NOT encouraged to touch the babies

All visitors wash hands prior to entering our unit

Anyone who has smoked just prior to entering the unit does not touch or hold the baby including the parents

Parents are allowed to determine who they wish to visit the baby. It is not the nurses decision. The only time we get funny is if parents just have so many people visiting - it is hard to maintain other parents privacy if there are too many people flowing in and out. Also, the more visitors the more exposure the babies can have to various colds/flus.

I would go to the unit manager and your sister can voice ther feelings of importance that you are involved with the baby. If this does not work - go to the medical staff. Sometimes we have to deal with really unrealistic and ignorant parents and visitors and those rules are put in place to set standards. I know that sounds harsh but some parents are so difficult and will have loads of their friends roaming in and out several times per day. I am sure if you are reasonable and discuss it with the nurse manager you can visit.

This sounds a lot like ours.. except people come in smelling like a chimney and they hold.. :(

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My brother and his wife had their baby boy this am at 30 wks due to a placental abruption. He has RDS and is on the vent.

Thank you in advance for your input!

In our NICU we practice family centered care - the visitors are selected by the parents. They may have anyone (as long at no CD) visit with them; and may have up to 6 people on a list to visit without them there if they want. This is in all circumstances. Parents are NOT asked to leave for Doctor's rounds or any exam/proceedure either. They are encouraged to attend things like Developmental Care Rounds.

Parents are the primary care givers and the medical staff the visitors.

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Specializes in NICU.

We are pretty family centered as well, but I think we have a good mix of that along w/ some rules...

Only 2 people at the bedside at a time, one of which must be a parent.

No children under the age of 12 are allowed to visit, except for siblings. Each sibling is allowed to be at the bedside 2x / week, for 20 min each time. Every time they visit, the parent must fill out (and sign) a form that states that the child isn't sick, and/or hasn't been exposed to anything contagious...

Parents are encouraged to be present for rounds on their individual baby. When rounds are being done on the other babies in the room, we ask that parents leave for a that time for privacy reasons.

We also ask that parents leave during nursing shift report as well. The parents are usually pretty understanding about this - they get the whole privacy thing.

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Specializes in Neonatal nursing (paediatric trained).

Our visiting policy is this:

Only three visitors per baby at one time (if more come, they can take turns in the parents' sitting room), one of which must be a parent/allowed adult

No one can visit a baby without one of the parents unless the mother has given written permission.

Other than siblings, no children under 16.

Other than parents, no visitors after 20:00 (parents, of course, 24/7)

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Specializes in NICU, PICU, PACU.

Sounds like you need to ask your brother, your mom may have misunderstood.

I'd have to vote with something going on in the unit....we are heading into RSV season and we will soon be shutting down to all visitors except parents and grandparents. We have had too many outbreaks of RSV in the past 2 years, so we had to implement this. Our peds floors and PICU also go by this.

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Specializes in NICU.

Ours is a closed unit with an open floor plan. No windows for "viewing." Parents are allowed 24/7, except during shift change. Parents can designate 2 "support persons," if they wish, who also can have access 24/7. All other visitors must be accompanied by a parent. After the initial wave of "awwww, new baby" visitors, no more than 2 people at the bedside. No one under 14, except siblings over 5.

Supervisors and NM have discretionary control over allowing or limiting in a particular situation.

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With my first NICU baby, only the parents were allowed to hold or touch the baby. Others could come into the unit but they couldn't touch the baby at all. This was almost 16 yrs ago. Nothing was going on in the unit, it was just "policy"

With my 2nd NICU/Special care baby, only the parents were allowed into the unit. visitors could come and peek into the unit through the window in the door (small window..very high up, hard for my older daughter to see her new baby sister) but NO ONE other than mom and dad were admitted into unit. No one in the family saw my 2nd daughter until she was discharged from the hospital. It was a 30 minute drive for them, and to only get a glimpse of her through a small high window was heartbreaking, so they all decided to wait until they could hold, hug, snuggle her.

We did have a very sympathetic primary nurse who 'snuck' in my older daughter after we did the manditory scrub down and gown up on her. The nurse allowed my older daughter to sit in the rocking chair and then placed the baby in her arms for about 10 minutes. My older daughter was in heaven! She was so fearful that her baby sister had died and thats why we wouldn't let her see her. So sad. I thanked that nurse over and over.

The policy in the 2nd hospital made it difficult for me to visit with my newborn daughter. She was born right before Christmas break from school so my older daughter was home with me and if I wanted to go feed or visit and spend time with the newborn I had to find a sitter to watch the older one (who was 9 at the time). It was also difficult for both me and the dh to visit because we would either have to find a sitter for the older one or bring her with us and she would have to stand in the entry way to the unit . It broke my heart to see the older one jumping up and down just to catch a glimpse of her sister.

Oh! Forgot, not only was no one but parents allowed to see the baby, we (the parents) could not move her from her incubator area! We were not allowed to remove her from the incubator (she wasn't on any tubes or O2, she was a healthy baby full term, just very small) the nurse had to place her in our arms. So trying to move the rocking chair to the lower window that the older daughter could see into wasn't allowed :banghead: Hopefully, they have or will update their policies to allow for the immediate family to see and bond with the newborn.

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