L&D/NICU hostility!!!!

Published

Specializes in OB, Post Partum, Home Health.

Just wondering if this unfortunate situation is unique to the facility where i work or if it is everywhere! whenever the NICU gets very busy, the nurses become very hostile and rude to L&D nurses. Last night I walked into the NICU and overheard a conversation between 2 nurses. There was a 36 wk baby on a vent, was induced because mom had severe PIH. 2 NICU nurses were complaining because "the ob docs think that 36 weeks is full term. they even had pit on her!!!" When i tried to explain to them that it was necessary to deliver due to severe pih, they said "well they had mag on her and just decided to turn it off and induce her. why would they start pit if she wasn't contracting anymore." i had to explain that the MgSO4 was for pih, not ptl. they had no clue, just thought that we induced for the fun of it!! but what is even worse is that they frequently convey these feelings to the parents. " well, your baby probably wouldn't be on a vent if your doctor didn't induce you" and parents have no idea, they think that ob's are doing something wrong!!!

then, after that conversation, had a 32 week pt come in, 8 cm, bulging membranes come in, called nicu to alert them and was told "well you better stop her." I explained that we were going to try but no promises. I was asked "well what are you going to do, pit her?" I again explained that we were going to try to stop her but what are the odds at 8 cm and bulging membranes? they were so rude. So, back to the original question, is it everywhere or just here???

sorry about venting. i am just so frustated. We do all that we can for our pts and are treated like we are tring to harm babies and the nicu is there to save their lives when we try to kill them.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

We have the same problem. I think it comes from the fact that both areas are so specialized that they don't understand what the other areas deal with, BUT they think they do (like them thinking MgSO4 is just for the ptl or that you pit pts for fun). I have often been amazed at NICU nurses who think I have some magical power to stop these women from coming in and delivering! I take it with a grain of salt. I have only been rude back once. I think someone whould definitely talk to the NM about those nurses giving out unreliable information about the L&D care women have received. That is completely unprofessional.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Oh, no no no no no no.......it is most definitely not just YOUR facility!!:chuckle

I once had a change of shift crash and burn c/s for severe UUUUUGGGGGLY fetal distress, and the *#@!% NICU nurse says, 'uh......couldn't you wait until AFTER shift change?' I wish I could say she was kidding, but I had the misfortune of working in the NICU w/her and knew she was dead serious and DEAD STUPID.

Yep. They act like we TRY to 'make up' emergencies and bad babies for them. AS IF!!! :rolleyes:

And it kills me when the pp and nsy nurses b*tch about 'all the patients' we keep bringing out.....LIKE WE DIDN'T HAVE THEM FIRST, IN A MUCH MORE CRITICAL STATE, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

No, it is not just your facility. Those a**holes are everywhere. :rolleyes:

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Wait until shift change? Hell, sure, do you want us to wait till Monday morning so it's more convinient for you? We'll just keep watching those decels go down to 60 for a few minutes at a time and tell mom to cross her legs and not push.. .... Oh the idiots in nursing amaze me!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Everything except surgery.

Wow...I have never seen...this before... never! I have worked both NICU...and L&D...at several different hospitals...but not since 1998...but geeze...could things have changed that much???

Up Vote Up Vote ×

yes it must have changed, i have experienced the same things at another hospital, NICU nurses there though L&D nurses were idiots and never missed a chance to say so.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Everything except surgery.

Boy....that just boggles my mind! :confused: I have never thought any such thing about L&D nurses...and I started out in NICU. Maybe it's because I worked both....but I just never saw or heard anything like this before. What a silly thing to think.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in NICU.

I work in ICN, busy nursery, when we hear about a pretermer contracting, we ask about Betamethasone, if it has been given. Some L&D nurses never think about it until we bring it up-and it can make such a difference to the baby!

In general, we get along with our L&D nurses, just wish we could staff for the what-if's, like they do! It's hard to be very busy, have to drop everything to go to a delivery (only the problem ones) and see the labor nurses sitting around, with nothing to do-just waiting for patients.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

i wish we could staff for the what if's also. cannot tell you how many deliveries i have been in that it was just me and the doc. so i had to tend to momma and baby, or how many crash c/s i been in that it was just me and doc and nursery nurse. i have had to be surgical assistant/circulator all rolled in to one more than i like.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.

how do you circulate and assist both? that's a whole hell of a lot of gown and glove changes, not to mention DAMN DANGEROUS..... who helps you don new gown and gloves in cases like this???? who is w/the surgeon when you have to "gofer" something? wow I cannot even imagine such a scenario.....

i can honestly say i have never circulated AND assisted...but i HAVE circulated AND caught baby....THAT i can SEE....even tho THAT is damn dangerous too......i would not want to be in YOUR shoes doing that mark.:rolleyes:

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in NICU.

You bee-yotches know damn well that you hang out in the aisles of the Baby Depot at Burlington Coat Factory to woo 28-week moms with pit-covered bonbons just to piss us off. Mmmhmm.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in NICU.

Ps. That was a joke, so don't go gettin' all riled up. I am sorry that you've had to deal with attitudes like this; I haven't seen this at my facility- the only thing that happens on our NICU is that we pretend-whine at the L&D nurses when they bust into the doorway pushing a baby and ask them in our most pitiful voices, "Why didn't you call and tell us???". Being a new nurse, it still boggles my mind that someone could actually consider any other type of nursing as less busy or hectic or significant or difficut than their own specialty. We allllllllllllllllllll bust our butts, and we should all respect each other, because in the end, we all go home with tired feet and aching backs and wishing, sometimes, that we'd gone into Pre-K teaching instead of nursing. Personally, I have never even CONSIDERED the thought of L&D nurses doing anything other than scrambling to save mom and baby in an emergency that requires NICU intervention. I can't believe that someone would suggest that you purposely turned off a medication to induce or speed up labor just for their own convenience!!! :>O Someone needs to lay the smackdown on that girl. ;>)

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Join the Discussion