Parents never cease to surprise me

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So, when we send babies home, we always have the parents demonstrate CPR. I was discharging a baby to a young mother and was getting ready to have her demonstrate CPR. She asked if she could demonstrate on her baby! Apparently her mother told her to ask that! That so freaks me out! It's no wonder that some of these young girls have no clue when their parents clearly have no clue (not that I'm making excuses because I think we get to a point where we have to make our own decisions). I sometimes wonder how these young girls even made it when I meet their moms who seem to have no clue how to care for a baby. It blows my mind.

We have a baby who is ready to go home, she has reflux. Mom is adamant that the baby will not come home until she is cured, because mom is scared. Mom comes in maybe once a week, and that is just to show her face and state her opinion. She was told this week that we are an expensive daycare and the only cure for reflux was time. She went ballistic, I felt like I was witnessing Jerry Springer.

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Specializes in Maternal - Child Health.
I really hate when the physicians give in and do things just because the parents are control freaks. We have a set of twins now, and the mom and dad are so picky about EVERYTHING. They are educated and think they know best, but I just want to say, "is your doctoral degree in NICU care?!" One twin is ready to go home, but parents don't want him to go without the other one. I understand that may make things more difficult, but it's not a hotel. So, the doc (of course) is believing the parents when they say they "need to get the house ready for him first" so he's already staying a day longer. We shall see what tomorrow brings.

Probably a preventable nosocomial infection.

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Specializes in Maternal - Child Health.
We have a baby who is ready to go home, she has reflux. Mom is adamant that the baby will not come home until she is cured, because mom is scared. Mom comes in maybe once a week, and that is just to show her face and state her opinion. She was told this week that we are an expensive daycare...

Time to start billing her directly, or even better, demand upfront payment for further unnecessary care. She'll change her mind quick.

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Specializes in NICU, PICU, educator.

We've had our docs tell parents who have come up with a hundred excuses not to take Jr home "Well, your baby doesn't need to be here any longer, so we will be calling social services who will find your baby a foster home to go to until you are able to care for him"....amazing how quick they change their minds!

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3 kg baby boy with first time 20 year old dad who has never really touched a baby. Changes his first meconium diaper, which was a big poop. He was very proud of himself. Asks totally seriously, "Can you tell me how much the diaper weighed? Was it a couple of pounds?" No. Because your child weighs baout 6 1/2 pounds.... so, no.

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Specializes in ICN.

I've had parents who wanted to save the first poop for the baby book. Like eww.

Dawn

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Specializes in Ante-Intra-Postpartum, Post Gyne.
OMG! Sometimes it shocks me how much they don't know. I also like the moms that lie to us like we are that dumb. The same mom who wanted to demonstrate CPR on her baby was found to have smoked marijauna while pregnant (the mec stat came back positive the day she was leaving) so social work came to talk to her. She said she never smoked it, but she was around some people who were smoking it. Riiiiigghhttt...

And what would have happened to her if she admitted to it to the SW? In my area we are known for Marijuana heck they even made a movie about us. A very LARGE % of moms are THC poss...and often other things as well, its often to the point that you will hear the nurses say, "Oh, she was only poss for THC" (as it at least its just that)...nothing really happens to THC poss mom's other than a poss SW and maybe after care (depending on the home situation).

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Time to start billing her directly, or even better, demand upfront payment for further unnecessary care. She'll change her mind quick.

That is the thing that torques me even more, this baby is on Medicare!

I like the idea of telling the mom that we will find a foster home until she is able to care for her baby. The social worker thinks mom has PPD, because she is very irrational and adamant about what she wants, but she doesn't display caring behaviors while with her baby. Can anyone say control issues?

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Specializes in NICU.
And what would have happened to her if she admitted to it to the SW? In my area we are known for Marijuana heck they even made a movie about us. A very LARGE % of moms are THC poss...and often other things as well, its often to the point that you will hear the nurses say, "Oh, she was only poss for THC" (as it at least its just that)...nothing really happens to THC poss mom's other than a poss SW and maybe after care (depending on the home situation).

Nothing happens where I'm from either. Frankly, I find DCFS to be competely and totally useless. They often use the word "yet" as in, "she hasn't done anything yet." Really? I'm pretty sure drinking a case of beer while being pregnant is doing something. Or smoking pot while pregnant. Hello! If you gave an infant a baby bottle full of beer, they might be upset about that.

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Specializes in NICU, adult med-tele.

The one that never fails to amaze me is when we admit a 500 g or so infant on a vent and drips of all kinds, and the first question the parent asks is "when will you circumcise him":rolleyes:

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Specializes in NICU, Infection Control.
The one that never fails to amaze me is when we admit a 500 g or so infant on a vent and drips of all kinds, and the first question the parent asks is "when will you circumcise him":rolleyes:

"De-Nial" is more than a river in Egypt!! The question under the question is "when will everything be ok?". It's the kind of thing someone says when they are having the stuffing scared out of them, and they're likely to say anything that falls from their lips.

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In response to:

"That is the thing that torques me even more, this baby is on Medicare! "

"I like the idea of telling the mom that we will find a foster home until she is able to care for her baby. The social worker thinks mom has PPD, because she is very irrational and adamant about what she wants, but she doesn't display caring behaviors while with her baby. Can anyone say control issues?"

I am not quite sure who wrote this but isn't Medicare for older adults 65+ and Medicaid is for children and pregnant women? I think that is very, very judgmental to judge someone for the type of insurance they have and as a nurse, you should know from school, the one thing you learn is to not discuss your patients with others or to JUDGE THEM. Yes there will be stupidity and yes, some moms and dads don't know what they should know....but to make fun of someone because of their insurance is cruel. With the economy the way it is, not everyone can afford to be a registered nurse or higher. Not everyone can afford a great paying job and instead, are forced to get minimum wage jobs and have to be on Medicaid. I think those who are lucky enough to have been able to pay for school or whose parents paid for school, I think these people should consider themself LUCKY (myself included), because many people cannot and have to suffer. Sometimes, people are a product of their environment and if they were raised a certain way and led to believe certain things, it is hard for them to change these learned behaviors after thinking it was the right way and the normal way to live for over 20 plus years. Yes, it would be nice if they realized their parents were not always right and did not always teach them right, but that doesn't always happen. Nobody is perfect. It is a shame that so many judge others for things that should not be judged. I understand the moms who do drugs or drink, that is just awful, and I understand the parents who live the babies there and rarely visit while the baby is there...but insurance? Come on, that's pretty low.

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