You Know You're a NICU Nurse When...

[NeoNurseTX, RN]

Ew. I once had a booger land on my lip. I was using a bulb syringe and squirting the boogies out onto a piece of gauze, and one ricocheted off the gauze and right onto my lip. That was gross. You all know what kind of stuff you can get out of a kid's nose. It's amazing sometimes how they can even breathe!

Ew, ew ew!!! I'd rather have baby gut contents on me than adult gut contents though.

Anyone every change a diaper of a breastmilk fed baby whose mom eats solely beans and rice! Ouch! You gotta tie off the garbage bag in the can and toss it down the chute ASAP or eyes start burning all over the unit!

Pregestimil burps are as bad as the poops....well almost.

There is also the nice feeling when you go to a March of Dimes walk and the 24 weeker you fought against the tide of circling the drain for weeks is now pushing his little brother in the stroller munching on animal crackers! (Happened to me this year!)

:smiletea2::smilecoffeeIlovecof

[Sweeper933]

There is also the nice feeling when you go to a March of Dimes walk and the 24 weeker you fought against the tide of circling the drain for weeks is now pushing his little brother in the stroller munching on animal crackers! (Happened to me this year!)

Almost the same story for me this year at the walk. Former 23 weeker whose twin was IUFD. He's now 2 1/2 with a little sister that he was pushing around! He and his family were even the sponsor family for that walk!

[hikernurse]

I've got a couple more:

You can never raid the patients fridge when you're hungry at 0300 because all you'd find is breast milk

Occasionally late at night (and never when management is around ), you unhook your baby and take her on a walk down the hall so she can see something other than the ceiling above her crib

You don't feel silly wearing cartoon/holiday scrubs--not because your patients have an opinion, but because their moms like them :)

You've been tempted to stop strangers and ask what their syndrome is--you know darn well they have one--and you don't want to ever get yourself tested, because you probably do too .

Amen...amen....amen!

The motto in our NICU is "We don't DO big people." (icky)

Ew. I once had a booger land on my lip. I was using a bulb syringe and squirting the boogies out onto a piece of gauze, and one ricocheted off the gauze and right onto my lip. That was gross. You all know what kind of stuff you can get out of a kid's nose. It's amazing sometimes how they can even breathe!

We have a few nurses who love to compare/compete with baby boogers. See who can find the biggest or grossest in the smallest nose. (We are a demented breed, NICU nurses,but we are happy!)

I am always impressed as well at how long these kiddos can sat 100% while breathing with a caterpillar up a nose!

...you've ever been freaked out seeing an adult (or even small child!) sized ETT.

...your bladder is bigger than your patient.

...you've had daydreams of smacking parents on the head with a bendybar.

...at least one of your patients has been on tv/in the paper as a miracle baby.

...you've ever got a medic opinion on a baby that's 'just not quite right' and find it hard to explain how you know the baby is obviously septic/had a bleed/got NEC with the most vague symptoms.

Argh, first night tiredness is not helping my brain

The other night at one of my jobs (I work in two different NICUs) I was helping a mom push and they decided to cath her because she was approaching preeclampsia. I thought I would barf when I saw the size of the urine catheter! I think it was a 20 french or something! I have become accustomed to cathing my patients with a size 2 french feeding tube!!

And...I am always fascinated when I donate blood and they whip out an 18 gauge. I will keep my 24 and 25 gauge needles thank you very much!

You know you are a NICU nurse when you lay your patient across your lap and pat his butt to calm him when he is fussy.

You know you are a NICU nurse when you bathe your patient in a wash basin sitting on a table.

You know you are a NICU nurse when you don't mind when your patient farts in your lap...as long as his diaper is intact!

[SteveNNP, MSN, NP]

I've got a couple more:

Occasionally late at night (and never when management is around ), you unhook your baby and take her on a walk down the hall so she can see something other than the ceiling above her crib.

I do that all the time, too!!

We call them our "social rounds"....

[prmenrs, RN]

We have a few nurses who love to compare/compete with baby boogers. See who can find the biggest or grossest in the smallest nose. (We are a demented breed, NICU nurses,but we are happy!)

I am always impressed as well at how long these kiddos can sat 100% while breathing with a caterpillar up a nose!

We called that the "catch of the day"!

You know you are a NICU nurse when you understand the term "projectile stool."

....and when you find yourself praising your maker that it didn't hit you in the face today.

[elizabells, BSN, RN]

YKYANNW:

You can't help but (inwardly) roll your eyes when someone gets all exercised about a friend of theirs who went into labor TWO WEEKS EARLY!!! ZOMG! 38 weeks!!!