Well Baby Nursery

[vegnurse21]

I am a nursing student with one year left of school. So far, we have only had med-surg rotations, so I haven't gotten much experience in specialty settings, but I know that med-surg is not for me. I am a PCA (CNA, whatever lol) and they have sent me down to the nursery on several occasions and I absolutely love it.

SO, I have decided (for now at least) that well baby nursery is what I'd like to start out in. I wish there was a general nursery forum, but I just thought this would be the next best place to post this! Anyways, as a PCA in the nursery I really didn't do very much with the babies of course. I gave a few their first baths and took temps and whatnot. But I really fell in love with it.

I really think I'd like to work my way up to NICU, but I want to get all my skills down with well babies first. Plus, the hospital I will probably end up at doesn't have a NICU, so the special babies are put in with the well babies...so that'll give me a lot more NICU experience.

So what does an RN in the nursery do? Well...okay, I know what they do. But can someone take me through a day step by step? I know that not all days are the same...but generally what I'd be doing? I know you do the assessments (which consist of...?) on all the babies you're assigned and assess the brand new babies, but what else?

I plan on getting some books that are listed in the sticky to be informed once I begin my job.

Anyways, help! NICU nurses, feel free to go through YOUR day as well! :)

[mstigerlily]

Wow 600 deliveries, I think we have about 400 a month and I thought we were busy. Our system sounds similar to yours.

Melissa

Well baby nurseries are less common now, but do still exist in some hospitals. I work in a well newborn nursery, but we're trying to make the transition to mother/baby couplet care. There are various reasons why we aren't already. For the most part, we are a very busy hospital. We have approximately 600 deliveries a month. Although we are a hospital that encourages mother to keep her baby with her for bonding and breastfeeding, there are always moms who request their baby to go back to the nursery for some reason. Other times, we have a baby who needs to be monitored, but isn't sick enough to be in the NICU and has to stay in the nursery. We also have semi-private rooms that are big enough for two adult patients, but not quite big enough to have two couplets in there ALL the time, so remodeling is in the plans. Another reason is all our nursery nurses also work post partum, but not all our post partum/OB Gyn nurses have been trained to work nursery. We are currently cross training those nurses to also take care of the baby. For now, we continue to have a separate well baby nursery. Some people may disapprove, but it works for us.

[baby&mommynurse]

Our hospital has a well baby nursery that is staffed 24/7. There is a nurse assigned there, she can watch up to 8 babies. She is responsible for initial assessment for all c-section babies. The L&D nurses do the vag deliveries, our nursery nurse (postpartum unit) does the c-section initial assessment, vitals & bath till baby is determined to be stable, then returned to mom. Because c-section babies sometimes have more trouble (spitty, etc) and c-section moms are often vomiting or not feeling well, the babies tend to stay awhile, often all night if it's late and mom has been up for awhile. The initial assessment includes the vit K shot, bath, weight, antibiotic ointment, monitoring temp in warmer, observation.

The nursery nurse also takes care of babies in this order (up to the 8 patients) 1) fresh c-section babies 2) sick babies or babies that need monitoring. If they need antibiotics, IVs, 1/1 care, they go across the hall to the NICU. 3) babies getting phototherapy 4) babies who are there because mom is resting.

The also assist docs with circumcisions, do regular vitals on babies in their care, daily weights, hearing tests.

We are in a very ritzy area and it's not uncommon for moms who are 2nd day uncomplicated vag deliveries to dismiss babies with a wave of the hand, "Send them to the nursery. Oh - and change that poopy diaper. You can give a bottle, I don't want to be bothered. Wake me up in the morning. Bye" I always ENJOY telling these moms, "SORRY - our nursery is full, we have a twin c-section coming!" You'll have to take care of your own healthy baby. I actually had a lady ask me last night what she would do when she got home and baby wouldn't quit crying because she "didn't have a nursery at home"!!! LOL!!! If you are in a hospital that has a staffed well baby nursery you are going to have high maintenance parents like this. Get used to hovering dads with camcorders asking you a million questions while you are trying to listen to heart tones or give a bath to slippery baby!

Melissa

I can relate to all of this... sounds just like my hospital! After delivery, mom has a chance to bond and feed the baby, the baby gets transported to the nursery and is transitioned in the nursery. Dad usually sticks around to "watch" the baby because mom makes him and mom gets moved to her post partum room. The baby goes to her room after the bath and temp is stable.

We sometimes get "princess-y" moms, but usually the mom's who have had more than a few kids send their newborns back to the nursery so they can rest.... time in the hospital is time away from all of them! Or it's a spoiled teen mom who shouldn't have gotten pregnant in the first place!

I've worn a pedometer just to see how much walking I do because of all those "back and forth" trips to and from the patient's room/nursery... a couple miles in a 12 hour day! It's days like that which make me want to go to couplet care now!

[BittyBabyGrower, MSN, RN]

Since we are a high risk facility we always have one nursery open for the moms that have to stay in L/D or have to go to one of the ICU's for something. I've been over in our nursery...I've had up to 6 kids...icky! I hate feeding those big fat full-termers that gag, spit and barf on me LOL I'll take my little preemies that at least give it a go LOL

Anywho...we also have a second nursery that they can open up if needed (we have ldrp and 2 postpartum floors).

[pickledpepperRN]

Thank you all for the information.

When my kids were born the nurseru nurses opened the curtains for two hour viewings twice a day.

Babies could not be with mothers during visiting hours citing infection control.

My roommate was chided by the laughing nurse for changing her babies diaper (cloth0.

When I was a student the nursery was an option. A Mom feared her ten hour old son would aspirate or be abducted so I took him to the nursery.