Preemie/NICU-isms

Specialties NICU

Published

Hi nurses,

Would you please share your funny preemie/NICU pet names for things, like some of these for example:

first attempt at breast-- "meet and greet"

under oxyhood-- in da 'hood

c-pap-- elephant impression

coming off of monitors-- (baby's name) unplugged

etc

I hope you don't mind this frivolous request. As a preemie mom I along with other preemie parents found these amusing bits of NICU humor a very welcome comic relief.

Thanks

Wen

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Specializes in NICU.

I hope moms with NICU babies aren't offended by any of these...they're just things that we happen to say often in my NICU.

"Little birdie" - usually a 28-32 week skinny newborn preemie wth lots of hair on its head - their delicate features make them look like a sweet baby bird who fell out of a tree.

"Throw 'em in a box" - we'll say this once a preemie has gotten stabilized enough to move from the radiant warmer into an isolette.

"Milkshake" - when a baby's formula is very high-calorie or has lots of crazy additives. (i.e. Breast milk+Neosure 27+MCT oil+Promod+NaCl+rice cereal)

"Stylin'!!!" - when parents bring in tons of cute clothes and blankets, so the baby and its bed always looks like a Babies R Us display.

"Makeover" - when we change all the tape on a baby's face.

"Wimpy white boy" - pretty common statement, but we often use it as a term of endearment because we feel so protective of these fragile baby boys.

"Saw the light" - a delicate way to say that a baby coded but was successfully resuscitated.

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I don't think mine would be appreciated by parent either.

Jelly Baby:

Looking at the light :Brady that requires bagging.

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boob juice!

i picked this up from a preceptor...i can't immediately think of any others

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I know a lot of offensive ones, but no cute ones come to mind right now...

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C-CRAP rather than CPAP anybody agree? I doubt that a parent would appreciate that one--but how about us NICU nurses?

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I was thinking more along the lines of "parent-friendly" terms of endearment.

For example:

Isolette-- womb with a view

Preemie tank top-- nurse-beater

step-down unit/feeder-grower room-- fat farm

Heat lamp-- french fry warmer/bun warmer

Lactation room-- dairy farm

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Specializes in NICU, Infection Control.

I called our breastfeeding room the Pump Room.

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Specializes in NICU.

Comforting a fussing baby with a pacifier - binkying him or I binkied him.

Baby doing poorly - Circling the drain.

Withdrawing care and extubating - Going to Heaven today.

Post bad brady/desat - the baby tried to die.

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self extubation: attempted suicide

pacifier: baby plug

death/heaven: transferred to level 4 NICU

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death/heaven: transferred to level 4 NICU

Hey, I work in a level 4 NICU!! That is one of the biggest stereotypes we face at my unit. Recently we had a mom of multiples who had a baby sent to us and she was petrified because the NURSES at the level 3 NICU said "babies only go to _______ Hospital to die." Sometimes, babies DO die in level 4 NICU's, but we often get babies from small hospitals without ANY NICU care available, and surgery pts from level 3 nicu's, as well as the SUPER SICK ones.

I'm not offended, but I just see that comment negatively affecting parents where I work.

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Specializes in NICU, PICU, educator.

We just say the Celestial Discharge.

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