LoveTheNICU

LoveTheNICU has 6 years experience and specializes in NICU (Level 3-4), MSN-NNP.

Latest Activity

1. Com'on, you got one...What is your heart wrenching moment?

   LoveTheNICU replied to CrunchBerries's topic in General Nursing

   Working as a Neonatal NP in a level 4 NICU, I've had several... But one of the worst by far was during my last pregnancy. Anyone in NICU can tell you that the worst time of our own pregnancies are 23-25 weeks, when the parents are given an option to ...

2. Favorite Dr or Nurse Name

   LoveTheNICU replied to sethmctenn's topic in Humor

   Dr. Leak- Urologist!!!

3. What do you use for pain control for PICC insertions?

   LoveTheNICU replied to ICN_RN's topic in NICU

   As a newer NNP, I came into a practice where the "more experienced" NNPs tended to restrain the infants hand and foot and give sucrose for PICC insertions. A few of the newer girls and I have adopted an approach that includes swaddling the infant wit...

4. Subutex withdraw

   LoveTheNICU replied to doularoz's topic in NICU

   I don't think the results are in yet, as she was still working on the research this spring and with the time between research and publishing, I can't imagine we will see them any time soon. However, her name is Karen D'Apolito, and she has been publi...

5. Family Support Person

   LoveTheNICU replied to lmwnnicurn's topic in NICU

   Spacey, I will see about getting some contact information for you- if she doesn't mind, of course- and getting better answers for your questions if at all possible. I don't know if I will have a chance to do so this week, as our NICU reunion picnic i...

6. Family Support Person

   LoveTheNICU replied to lmwnnicurn's topic in NICU

   We do have a designated support person, who has been working for our unit just over two years on a grant-type arrangement. She has a social work/counseling background of some sort, but is not a practicing social worker. She conducts support groups an...

7. Maybe an ignorant question, but I'm asking it anyway....

   LoveTheNICU replied to greenfiremajick's topic in NICU

   All the way back to your original question- I think the reason you may see NNP positions listed as "MSN preferred" is because not so long ago, you could become an NNP as a certificate-type program if you were a BSN prepared RN. There was definitely ...

8. Infant with reflux-Nsg DX help

   LoveTheNICU replied to Cheer4WVU's topic in Student Assist

   I would think along the lines of a "risk for" diagnosis if you cannot find anything in his assessment to support a problem. Or if you feel mom is not understanding the infant's true condition, what about an education/knowledge diagnosis? Think it thr...

9. Managing O2 changes in preemie

   LoveTheNICU replied to twizzlers67's topic in NICU

   This is one of those questions that plauges the NICU, so it's completely normal to be confused by this! The overriding thing that I try to remember in this situation is that in GENERAL, too much oxygen is much more harmful than too little, especially...

10. Octuplets

    LoveTheNICU replied to Sweeper933's topic in NICU

    I don't know the weights of the babies at this point, but in my NICU, we follow a protocol that any baby less than 1500g has an OG regardless of NC or CPAP. This is based on research regarding nasal/sinus deformities in VLBW kids and the whole "oblig...

11. diagnosis question....

    LoveTheNICU replied to sleepy1010's topic in Student Assist

    The problem with the "risk for pulmonary embolism" diagnosis is that it is not actually a nursing diagnosis. But you are on the right track. What nursing diagnosis would a pulmonary embolism cause?

12. Care of mothers with babies in intensive care

    LoveTheNICU replied to Elvish's topic in NICU

    As an NICU nurse, I just wanted to leave a quick note to say THANKS for the little extras you do to support these mothers! They most certainly need caring and supportive nurses throughout their postpartum experience. I know that your units are often ...

13. Pphn

    LoveTheNICU replied to 3yrDiploma's topic in NICU

    When I think about PPHN, it helps me to think about it's other name- persistent fetal circulation- because that really does describe what is going on. In utero, the baby's blood supply comes in through their umbilical vein, up to their right atrium, ...

14. Subutex withdraw

    LoveTheNICU replied to doularoz's topic in NICU

    I am working on finishing my NNP, and one of my professors is very heavily involved in a study right now that is comparing the effects of buprenorphine and methadone. They have studied over 800 infants born to mothers whose addiction was either treat...

15. rehabilitation in the NICU

    LoveTheNICU replied to mslinzyann's topic in NICU

    We most certainly do have rehab people involved in our NICU. Physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech/language pathologists all are involved in the care of some of our infants. Specifically, speech language pathologists come to work on feedi...