Transporting babies

NICU_Nurse, BSN, RN · Jul 3, 2003

Our L&D department is "far" IMO from the NICU- you have to travel a lot of long hallways to get to us, but in reality I suppose it only takes about a minute or so. It's bad design on the architect's part- we were originally adjoined to the L&D OR but they moved us so we could expand.

If the baby is stable, the go the front way with one nurse who brings them in a transport Isolette without oxygen hookups over to the well baby nursery.

If the baby is unstable it is brought to us in an O2 transport Isolette with the team who delivered it. Nurses and MD's NEVER carry a baby anywhere- too much risk for dropping the baby and liability issues and all that. They are never transported in open cribs from L&D.

If a baby from the well baby nursery is going to visit mom in PP, they are wheeled down with the crib covered with blankets to the mom's room.

At discharge, babies are brought down with mom and/or dad in an open crib. Mom is the only one who is allowed to carry the baby out, and that is only if she is also being discharged and is being wheeled out in a wheelchair. Then she is allowed to have the baby in her lap, but they rarely do this at my facility- only when the parents insist. It's generally preferred here to just move the baby in a crib to the car waiting downstairs for safety reasons. Dads aren't allowed to push, hold, or carry the baby out for infant security reasons.

Our policies are always followed, we don't have a compliance issue in this department.

Mimi2RN, ASN, RN · Jul 4, 2003

Thanks Kristi. We frequently use cribs for transport, transport isolette if they need O2. Couplets are moved with the babe in mom's arms, in a w/c.

I'd like to know what other places do. I know some hospitals carry infants short distances.

webbiedebbie · Jul 4, 2003

Our moms may ambulate out of hospital at discharge. The nurses push baby out in crib. Parents only may place infant in car seat in car.

Parents are instructed that they may not carry infant in hallways (safety issue). Only mom and primary support person (both wearing white bracelets) may take infant in crib to nursery.

iceNICUnurse · Jul 4, 2003

My NICU used to be only steps away from the delivery rooms and OR. Then the MDs just carried the babies in their arms these few steps. But the nurses always put the babies in cribs before returning them to the mom.....if she was still at the hospital at disharge of the baby.

Now we have moved a cople of hundred meters away from L&D and we have a bit of a problem with our transporting. The MDs seem to have a hard time acceping the fact that they cant run with them in their arms like they used to....sometimes they come running and we go all crazy!

Our new policy is to transfer in a crib or an incubator. Mostly we use the cribs but if we have to intubate before we transfer. We use a huge incubator (Drager Caleo). Then we need 3 people, 2 to control the incubator (have to be careful not do run down a new mom on the "eeryting went well"unit that we have to go trugh) and one to ventilate the baby on the way.

If the mum is still at the hospital at discharge we take the babies in a crib to their room but if the mum has gone home we say goodbye to the parents at the door of the NICU and thay take the baby on their own to the car. Usually we help the parents to put the baby in the corificeat before they take them downstairs.

We are not as afraid og liability and lawsuits here in Iceland as in the US..I dont think anyone would consider taking the hospital to court if the parents dropped the baby themselfs....

Our mums ambulate out at disharge.

NicuGal, MSN, RN · Jul 15, 2003

Right down the hall...and the antepartum is there too :) No carrying babies...they are in isolettes or cribs. And the same here...parents put the baby in the corificeat.

allnurses Guide · Jul 15, 2003

Hi Mimi . . well, my husband carried our son from the OR (emergency cesarean) to the NICU with the nurse . . . hurrying down the hallway, they bypassed my inlaws and kids. He wasn't in any danger but the general nursery was full and they just wanted to watch him for a couple of hours.

Our nursery is probably 20 steps from the PP rooms . . . and we aren't supposed to carry them but sometimes that gets forgotten.

Of course, the bassinet is perched in a metal carrier and if you were to round the blind corner you could conceivably run into a patient on a gurney from the OR and the bassinet would go flying through the air.

Guess we have to CYA but sometimes I think we think too much.

steph