rainbows4me

Latest Activity

1. New grad in the nicu

   rainbows4me replied to jas1274's topic in NICU

   Congratulations on passing the boards! It takes a long time to become comfortable in NICU. Some people are more natural with organization and time management than others, and as a new grad, you're likely to have a few kinks to work out. Don't let...

2. Bubble CPAP chin strap help!!

   rainbows4me posted a topic in NICU

   Looking for some help here... Our unit uses bubble cpap. We have been struggling with ideas for chin straps on our babies who continually have their mouths gaping open, and thus stop bubbling and lose their pressure. We used to tie stockinette (the...

3. Would you consider a home birth?

   rainbows4me replied to 2curlygirls's topic in NICU

   Great book! I have read this book, along with many other midwife/doula/homebirth books. And yes, I am a NICU nurse, and yes, I've had a midwife birth with a free standing birthing center, and yes, I totally support homebirth with low risk mothers a...

4. Would you consider a home birth?

   rainbows4me replied to 2curlygirls's topic in NICU

   Now let's be fair. You honestly think that bad things don't happen in hospitals? That a bad birth at home would have been a great birth in the hospital?? I hate it when people assume that a failed/bad homebirth would have been a better outcome in ...

5. Would you consider a home birth?

   rainbows4me replied to 2curlygirls's topic in NICU

   To be honest - I'm glad I'm done having babies! As a NICU nurse, the blissful ignorance is gone - I have seen the bad outcomes of birth. Bad outcomes of hospital births and bad outcomes of home births. And if you look at the research, you have a h...

6. Sick Time for Nurses in NICU

   rainbows4me replied to hmarandola's topic in NICU

   Which is an easier moral to follow if you aren't risking losing your job for calling out. Not as simple as worrying about your paycheck, it's worrying about your career, your evaluations, not to mention being able to care for your own family (don't ...

7. Pneumograms

   rainbows4me replied to fergus51's topic in NICU

   We do "5 channel studies" which along with the regular HR/RR/sat also monitor esophageal pH. Never saw so many kids diagnosed with reflux as those on our unit... wonder how many kids off the street would test positive for reflux if you gave them al...

8. Stress Scale

   rainbows4me replied to KES's topic in NICU

   Seems like it's usually a 2-3 or a 8-10... Not usually in middle! And our whole unit seems to be that way as well - either we go a whole shift with no admission or we're getting 3 admissions, crashing kids, and calls for immediate transport! I actua...

9. how long have you been...

   rainbows4me replied to Tiny1Nisolet's topic in NICU

   A year and a half. Love the work I do, don't always love the politics of such a seasoned unit. Like yours, ours has many 25+ year veterans, many of whom started in our unit as new grads!

10. Knocking on isolette

    rainbows4me replied to Super RT's topic in NICU

    I have to agree, that while it's not my first choice, i've done it many times. Last night, in fact, I was forced to as well! When your hands are dirty and you see a brady to the 50s, sat in the 60s and flat line in the resp monitor, you do what you...

11. what do CNA's do in the NICU?

    rainbows4me replied to Ariel70113's topic in NICU

    Our unit uses "technical associates", which are often CNAs. They do heelstick blood draws, Algos, car seat tests, and help with feedings, baths, weights, vitals, stocking, etc. We are a 50+ bed level 3 and utilize 2-4 per shift.

12. Preemie resuscitation in regards to gestational age

    rainbows4me replied to d2k2's topic in NICU

13. what's your policy on switching out isolettes?

    rainbows4me replied to luv-r-babies's topic in NICU

    seven days here as well...

14. Preemie resuscitation in regards to gestational age

    rainbows4me replied to d2k2's topic in NICU

    We use 23 weeks and 400 grams as a cut off. Our outcomes with 23 weekers (23 and change) have not all been bad, but certainly the majority of them do not survive without major problems along the way, if they survive at all. We did recently have a ...

15. Peripherally catheter

    rainbows4me replied to Mayra's topic in NICU

    EXACTLY! Sure, you can say dilute it, but when you're dealing with a micropremie - doesn't take much for the c/k/d to through the roof! I find it happening all of the time with Fentanyl - I'm giving 0.13cc - you want me to put that in a 5cc syringe...