* Long*Thank you from a new Former NICU Mom and aspiring Nurse

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Hello,

　

I am writing this because I want to say THANK YOU to all of you who are helping people every day, I have personally experienced just how important and what a difference Nurses are to the patients well being. I want to share my experience as a patient and hopefully get some input as well.

　

I had a very bad pregnancy, was literally deathly ill, and in three different hospitals (kept getting transferred to larger facilities as I got sicker) for over two months due to pre-eclampsia. My son was born at 31 weeks and it was a very long and traumatic 22 hour labor, my blood pressure bottomed out, I was unconscious for an hour and woke up to a hospital room full of Dr.'s and Nurses and a terrified family. When my son was born he had trouble breathing and was put on a ventilator. I was not able to see him for over 24 hours as I was still very ill. I had a downright mean and unprofessional Nurse the first night after his birth; I was alone because my husband had to stay home with our other children. This Nurse made a terrifying situation 10 times worse. She came in my labor room without saying anything she just started wheeling my bed out to the recovery room, my bed was literally slammed into the door on the way out. I asked for pain medicine when we got to the room (after going over 8 hours without any and my DR. had it ordered, both Norco and Stadol), she told me in a very nasty tone that I had just pumped and obviously that was why I was hurting and said it would go away (it didn’t) , then she left without saying anything. She did not check on me again until about 4 am when she again barged in and without saying ANYTHING (I was awake and visibly upset), just started trying to take my blood. She was "digging" around on my arm and hand very roughly and it HURT (I've had a lot of blood taken and have never had an experience like this), I finally spoke up and asked her to get someone else, she pulled the needle out, left the rubber band around my arm and just walked out without saying a word. Thankfully a very nice Nurse came and took my blood; I was too drained to complain to her, like I now wish I would have. I hope this complaining does not offend anyone but, I can assure you I was always a very thankful and easy going patient and the way she treated was truly horrible.

The next morning the new Nurse was shocked at the mess I was in. My bed was covered in blood and I had dried blood all over me. I was crying and still just in shock over the birth of my son. She comforted me and helped me get cleaned up before wheeling me to the NICU. My baby was on a ventilator and had so many tubes and wires that I could barely see him. I broke down. I was absolutely terrified and heartbroken and my husband was still with our other children. It was a living nightmare.

Thankfully, my son had an AMAZING Nurse. If it was not for him I really do not think I would have made it. He told me it was ok to cry, to take my time, explained everything to me and so much more. My son was in the NICU for over 5 weeks, for the first three weeks or so he regularly took care of my son. I gave him a thank you card after about two weeks and wrote him a note to tell him how much he helped me those first days. My son had lots of ups and downs during his stay. The NICU had open visiting hours, but did not allow over night stays and encouraged parents to take frequent breaks. Most of the Nurses were great, although there were a few that just made a hard situation worse. But, whenever our first Nurse was assigned, I could relax and not worry about my son. I KNEW he was going above and beyond to take care of him (and me too). Fastforward a year later, my son is happy, healthy and just perfect.

I will NEVER, EVER, forget the way he helped me and I am sure he just thinks he was doing his job. My husband feels the same way. I know that he had a somewhat special bond with my baby as well, because he contacted me on a social networking site to check on him and I asked him to add me so he could stay updated. I also told him thank you again. We hardly talk but every once in a while he will check out the new pics of my baby and say something and I will again tell him in some sort of way thank you again. He is probably sick of hearing it but I just do not think I can EVER say thank you enough.

Because of him and the bad experiences as well, I have decided to start Nursing school and am in my second semester of pre-requisites. I want to eventually become a Nurse Practitioner but know I have a long way to go. I have never considered a job in the health care field before. I am in the IT field and always considered myself to be very “technical”. I now know that this is the only job I want to do. I know it sounds cliché but if I can help one person the way he helped me, I will be satisfied.

I would like to know if you guys think it would be ok let him know that he is the main reason I am pursuing this career. I have so many questions about becoming Nurse and think he would have a lot of good advice for me. I often think about writing him but, I am afraid that he might be put off by it. I do not want to be a bother or for him to think I am some kind of weirdo or stalker or something.

After, my bad experiences the Nurses who are in the field for the right reasons are so obvious to me. I feel like I can really help people since, I know what a difference one Nurse can make for the patient and the patients family.

I also want to say THANK YOU to all of you who are helping people the way he helped me!

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Specializes in ER.

I'm surprised you haven't had some responses yet.

I went into nursing school after laboring - which really cemented my decision. I, too, dealt with some interesting issues and realized that if I hadn't advocated for myself, I would have gotten sicker much more quickly. I knew before I was a nurse of how I should be treated and how I instinctively knew how others should be treated when ill.

Fast forward almost 12 years since my nursing journey began, it jumps into my mind every now and then as to why I went into nursing. When someone is really going through a hard time, sometimes all it takes is a hug, offer someone a break, get them coffee, offer to call someone for them, etc... to really help someone down a very difficult path. Sometimes there isn't much you can do, but you can just be there.

It is horrible what you had to deal with in that nasty nurse. I wouldn't have stood for that and really peeves me that there are nurses out there (and always will be out there) who take advantage of a situation where someone is dealing with a lot. Her being nasty and rude wasn't helpful in any way. I would have reported her. You couldn't have had much worse care, really. I'm sorry you had to go through that, especially considering you had a NICU child, your own illness, and those hormones fluctuating. Shame on her, but fortunately those nasty individuals get theirs, eventually.

So glad to hear that you're going to Nursing school.

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Specializes in Emergency Department.

If you're a former NICU mom, then I'm a former NICU dad. My wife's water broke at 21 weeks and was hospitalized until the 24th week when we did an emergency C-section. My twin girls were delivered at 600 grams each and they stayed in the NICU 100 and 132 days.

They are 6 years old today and we still visit the NICU to say thanks every time we visit California. We had a whole team of great nurses.

Today, I'm a nurse because of what we went through in the NICU. Maybe in a few years, I'll be back in that NICU as a RN.

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I'm surprised you haven't had some responses yet.

I went into nursing school after laboring - which really cemented my decision. I, too, dealt with some interesting issues and realized that if I hadn't advocated for myself, I would have gotten sicker much more quickly. I knew before I was a nurse of how I should be treated and how I instinctively knew how others should be treated when ill.

Fast forward almost 12 years since my nursing journey began, it jumps into my mind every now and then as to why I went into nursing. When someone is really going through a hard time, sometimes all it takes is a hug, offer someone a break, get them coffee, offer to call someone for them, etc... to really help someone down a very difficult path. Sometimes there isn't much you can do, but you can just be there.

It is horrible what you had to deal with in that nasty nurse. I wouldn't have stood for that and really peeves me that there are nurses out there (and always will be out there) who take advantage of a situation where someone is dealing with a lot. Her being nasty and rude wasn't helpful in any way. I would have reported her. You couldn't have had much worse care, really. I'm sorry you had to go through that, especially considering you had a NICU child, your own illness, and those hormones fluctuating. Shame on her, but fortunately those nasty individuals get theirs, eventually.

So glad to hear that you're going to Nursing school.

Thank you for your reading my rambling and replying. I also wish I would have spoke up to some one about the way I was treated that night, if for nothing else to save another person from going through that. I was just too upset over everything that was going on.

Hope to become a regular member here. I have been reading as a guest for months now and have learned so much!

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If you're a former NICU mom, then I'm a former NICU dad. My wife's water broke at 21 weeks and was hospitalized until the 24th week when we did an emergency C-section. My twin girls were delivered at 600 grams each and they stayed in the NICU 100 and 132 days.

They are 6 years old today and we still visit the NICU to say thanks every time we visit California. We had a whole team of great nurses.

Today, I'm a nurse because of what we went through in the NICU. Maybe in a few years, I'll be back in that NICU as a RN.

I hope to visit our NICU someday soon also. I am sure you will be an asset to any NICU since you have been on the other side. TY for the reply!

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Specializes in ER/ICU/STICU.

Sorry to hear about the bad experiences with some nurses. Unfortunately not everyone in this profession is kind and caring. On the positive side, those bad interactions are great learning experiences that will only make you a better nurse. Congrats and good luck.

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AND THAT IS WHY I WANTED TO BE A NURSE!!

No seriously, the almost same situation happened to me. Rude and not caring nurses for me personally. I was 26 weeks pregnant and had blood pressure of 200/109, I was spilling proteins into my liver and kidneys. I delivered my daughter who weighed 1 pound 12 ounces. She was also vent'd. The nurses who took care of me after were horrible. I remember I was puking and the nurse came in threw the bed pan at me and left. I also had no help walking or anything and even passed out when they told my mom to help me get up and I told them I wasn't ready. (I had c-section.)

Now on the other hand the NICU nurses were amazing. They helped me understand everything. Answered my million questions. Dealt with my obnoxious (sp) family. My daughter was there for 10 weeks and we had a relationship with each and every nurse. She is now 5 turning 6 in May, perfect and healthy with NO complications. We visit twice a year and the nurses there bugged me about getting into nursing because of how I would be hands on with my daughter and help with newbies that came in the NICU. So I decided to go to school.

Maybe my nurse was having a bad day and I don't know her situation but hopefully all her pt's were not treated that way.

Thanks for posting, sorry reply so long. :rolleyes:

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I think it would be okay to send a little note to your son's nurse. It might just make his day. I think you could float a couple of general career advice questions out there and see how responsive he is. Just don't send him a long list of questions at first. And don't ask him for medical advice. (We're ridiculously isolated in the NICU sometimes, and many of us really have no idea what to do for an older infant with the sniffles. :) )

Welcome to the site! It's fun here and you can learn a lot.

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Specializes in Emergency Department.

Even better then that is getting the nursing manager's info. I have been corresponding with the NM off and on for years now in anticipation of applying for a job at that NICU. :D

I think it would be okay to send a little note to your son's nurse. It might just make his day. I think you could float a couple of general career advice questions out there and see how responsive he is. Just don't send him a long list of questions at first. And don't ask him for medical advice. (We're ridiculously isolated in the NICU sometimes, and many of us really have no idea what to do for an older infant with the sniffles. :) )

Welcome to the site! It's fun here and you can learn a lot.

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Specializes in ICF-MR.

Thank you for sharing your experience! :)

I'm wanting to become a nurse also, and I will never, ever forget my experience while pregnant with my youngest in 2002. I'd like to share!

Neither of my pregnancies were easy. I had more problems with my health while pregnant, than in my entire life before or since. So no more children for me. :o

At the time of my last pregnancy, my hubby was stationed near Ft. Bragg, NC so there's an Army hospital there that all the branches use. We were Air Force.

Long story short, I had uncontrollable gestational diabetes (was on insulin), PSVT, my blood pressure was uncontrollable, I gained a lot of weight and I was retaining a TON of fluid. I was constantly bouncing between inpatient/outpatient status. At 35 wks, I went in for a checkup (and knew there were probably going to admit me again), but when I saw the dr. in the exam room, my blood pressure was very high and he started yelling at me "Are you TRYING to KILL your baby!". :eek:

My husband was in there with me and we were both in shock. Keep in mind this was a military hospital so, there's not a whole lot he could do, being lower rank and all. We were dumbfounded, but then I was sent up to OB/GYN for NST. While I was laying in bed, I felt something weird running down my leg. I thought I was peeing on myself! But I quickly realized it must be amnio fluid and told one of the nurses that kept running back and forth, but no one would listen to me though. Finally I got the attention of a nurse and she brushed me off, said something like "I'm sure it's not your fluid." Well the more I laid there, the more I knew it was. She FINALLY came and actually CHECKED with a strip thing and sure enough it was. She said "Oh I guess you were right." Well duh! I'd already had a child before, so I knew the deal. Anyway they decide I'm gonna have the baby that day and admit me.

More long story short, while in labor, I overheard one of the nurses say to someone, "she's the biggest patient I've seen":eek: Really? Come on. I'd gotten up to 270 lbs, but that was just RUDE. Surely I couldn't have been the biggest woman she'd seen give labor. :crying2: (much of it was fluid rentention)

Well my son also got stuck and one nurse kept pushing down on my stomach HARD! It hurt so bad. He finally came out, 9 lbs at 35 weeks (a good, viable gestational age I know). He was wisked away quickly, there was concern that he had nerve damage in his shoulder, his blood sugar was out of wack and eventually he got jaundice so they kept him in NICU for 2 weeks. I will NEVER forget that whole experience. I am so blessed that my boys (now age 13 and 9) are happy and healthy so I'm content. I don't know why my body is CRAZY during pregnancy. So no more kids for me!

I won't even go into what happened with my first pregnancy (pre-eclampsia and an international miltary Med Evac):uhoh3:

I can relate to your bad experience and I'm so glad your son is healthy and you ended up with a great nurse to take care of him! I feel just like you that, if even for a moment, I can be that nurse that makes a difference in someone's life. Good Luck to you :redbeathe

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That wasn't that long. :coollook:

Thank you for sharing.

It's interesting how many nurses that I have encountered that have similar horror stories or 'tramatic encounters with the healthcare system' which directly led them to become nurses.

Your thrown into that kind of crazy situation having never experienced that setting and suddenly discover that this is a career that you would excel in. I think people like you end up turning into the 'good' nurses.

Shame what you went through tho..it takes just as much time and effort to be kind to someone as it does to be nasty and as you may soon find....a patient that has been taken care of is alot easier to work with then someone who has not had their needs met...Its things like that, I believe, that really make everyone's job so much harder.

And if you really feel violated, its never too late to voice your concern with the administration and it might help someone else.

Good luck with your new baby and career!:nurse:

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Specializes in CDI Supervisor; Formerly NICU.

As a male nurse in the NICU, it pleases me to hear that the hero of the OP was a man in the NICU as well. There are people that say we don't belong there, so it always makes my day when I hear stories like this, and when I have parents ask for me as their nurse or when they give me thank-you gifts on discharge, or...as happened this week, they call from the ER and ask if I'm available to come down to talk with them while their baby (my graduate) is being seen.

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