Well baby nurseries

Specialties Ob/Gyn

Published

I'm a little hesitant to ask this, given the thread on asking questions in another forum ;) , but I'm a paediatric nursing student in the UK, and whilst I get a maternity placement and a NICU placement as part of my training, as far as I know we don't have well baby nurseries over here.

From what I can gather from reading on this board, couplet care is where the mother and baby remain in the same room, which is what happens over here too. The baby always remains in the postnatal unit with the mother, unless of course it's a preemie/ill etc, in which case it will go to either a special care baby unit (less acute) or a NICU.

I've heard people talking about well baby nurseries, but because they are commonplace in america and non-existant over here, at least in my county, I still don't really understand when, why or how long babies go there for.

Would anyone be kind enough to explain to me the basics of the function and role of a well baby nursery?

Thank you very much.

Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.

We weren't heather. But thanks for your input.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Not meant that way Heather. Just meant as an "I can not provide all the niceties that some hospitals can provide, but I do what is safe for my patients. Doesn't make me a poor service industry worker".

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.

I guess for some of us, now and again, a hot-button issue is hit. I would HONESTLY LOVE TO PROVIDE well-nursery services to ALL MOMS EVERY time they ask for them. I DO feel for them when they are tired and need a break. It is not possible. The powers- that- be decided that staffing for this was NOT necessary since LDRP and "rooming-in" became the norm. Right or wrong, this is how it is esp on floors where we are combined like where I work. If it is perceived I am being snotty or stuck-up, I am sorry. Not meant that way at all.

I guess I am tired of being expected to be an astute nurse on top of ALL my patients needs, PLUS be the person who empties a hundred pounds of waste and trash when I come on (these rooms are scary, hate to see their homes), clean up abject messes, change linens (we have no CNA), etc. AND yes, babysit for those who smoke or need sleep. I wish I could be all things. I can't. Nursing duties have to take precedence. That is all I was saying. If it sounds rude, I apologize to anyone on this thread who took it that way. It's just frustration speaking, trust me.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

You know Deb I think that we work in the same hospital.

sprachlos008.gif

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in cardiac, diabetes, OB/GYN.

We aren't staffed that way either, period...The other night shift from hell (and I have had several in all three areas lately), I had a baby withdrawing from methadone and the pediatrician refused to acknowledge it....I had 8 babies by myself plus this poor child ( in our "well" baby nursery)...Finally, after at least one night shift of horror, called the oncall pedi and begged them to start DTO....The poor child went from projectile vomiting, to skin excoriation, irritablility etc.....Plus, since my helpers from delivery were getting slammed and couldn't come over, and pp was as equally assailed, it isn't as though anyone could come in and comfort the poor tyke...Also, though it is my policy to send breast feeding babies out as soon as they are hungry ( and I hate those moms who want to sleep but don't want you to formula feed and don't want to pump), especially if they return unsettled, but that is directly dependent on who on pp is available to send them out. Forget getting out to see how people do breast feeding, and in my case, in some sort of quirk, 6 of those babies, including the meth one, were bottle fed...And, there is no bathroom in the nursery.....The mom was on 140 mg meth a day....Took me much of the night to get the dosage set, set up with pharmacy, etc....AND got spoken to for OT....Moms do take the babies in the am, whether they want to or not when I am on, but then there is documentation and the like, not to mention getting the pharmacist on call to come in...And somehow, the supervisors, per usual do not take ANY area of OB seriously.....So, as far as the well baby nursery and babysitting goes, when my meth baby went into convulsions just before I could get it started, and the two boarder babies, who had no moms to send them out to, acted up, I have to say that rooming in sounded like an excellent idea to me......

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in cardiac, diabetes, OB/GYN.

Here is the other thing...If something happens out on pp, or if delivery needs backup, I as the nursery nurse, am the backup. In the very severe setting, which with our staffing, happens all too often, I will bring babies out and tell them they have to watch them because no nursery nurse is currently available...That never sits well and we hear a lot about how terrible we must be for "forcing the babies on their moms", which makes me laugh....

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.

I hear ye, mother/baby...oh yea i do.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Originally posted by SmilingBluEyes

We weren't heather. But thanks for your input.

No, thank you for allowing me to contribute.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in NICU.

We transfer moms and babies to pp care 2 hours post delivery. Most of the rooms are tiny, but there is a sleep chair is available for a family member. We also have semiprivate rooms, but the fob is not allowed to stay in those rooms (although I think a female family member can stay). The babies are not bathed until the post partum nurse takes over. We do not have a nursery for pp, sometimes on nights babies will be out at the nurses station so mom can sleep.

Any baby whose mom is too ill, or a boarder infant are brought into our almost-level ii nursery. Last I heard, we are doing 350 deliveries a month. Our nursery usually has a census of 9-10 babies, officially a 10 bed nursery, but we have had 15-20 babies for the last month. For the most part, they are premies and r/o sepsis babies, RDS babes that need a vent go out to Childrens. Our staffing sounds like it is for all of you, not enough nurses, too many patients.

It is amazing that moms get any teaching that they remember, the first day a lot of it goes in one ear and out the other. We have a high teen pregnancy rate, and they don't always want the cartoons interrupted. We have thought it would be nice to treat the water in the high schools...................maybe middle schools too......

Patients do have the option of staying 48 hours, and 96 for a c/s. Some of them want to take advantage of this, esp. the multips, that know about it. At one point we did have a nursery staffed for babysitting, and the moms were very happy to be able to sleep.

I hope the deliveries slow down soon, staff are wearing out. Sometimes even well paid overtime gets to be too much of a good thing.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Add a Comment