In a message dated 12/3/2003 9:53:37 AM Eastern Standard Time,
[log in to unmask] writes:

> Is it my imagination, or are more women being diagonsed with
> chorioamniotitis because they "spiked a little temp" in labor thereby
> condemning their babies to a minimum of a 2 day course of antibiotics in
> SCN?  Some of our SCN nurses/neos will allow a breast baby to be out in
> mom's room ad lib (yea!) during their shift; others put the baby on the
> time clock, only allowing an hour max for feeding.  This is upsetting and
> confusing to the parents to say the least.  Yesterday, one of the SCN
> nurses came up to me upset that I was "sabotaging" (her word) her baby
> because I was encouraging the parents to room in as much as possible so
> that nursing could be established.  The neo had told the parents that baby
> could be out ad lib and that formula supplements (another battle) were no
> longer needed.  So I did have MD backing.  The nurse was upset because baby
> was out with mom and because this was so, she did not "have a baby to take
> care of"!  The point was...?  I was struck speechless!  Who are we here
> for?  Ourselves and our protocols?  Or the mother/baby dyad?  Needless to
> say, I am working with the director of neo and the SCN manager on coming up
> with a consistent written protocol as to the length of time these "rule
> out" healthy babies can room in with parents.  Thanks for listening to my
> vent.
>

I work at a Baby Friendly Hospital and we having rooming in.  Yes, we've had
babies on antibiotics when the mom has had a fever during labor, but they stay
with the mother and breastfeed ad lib.  Surely a fever in the mother duriogn
labor is no reason to give formula to a baby??!!  This is when a baby would
especially need that colostrum.

 Why do your babies have to go to the Special Care Nursery?  Our nurses go to
the room frequently to check the baby and take the temperature, respiratory
rate, etc.

When are nurses find themselves without much patient care to do, they work on
making sure all the stabilets are stocked properly, tidying the report room,
and work on ideas for the unit.  New protocols or procedures that might help,
new forms for the charts so that they aren't reporting things in three or four
different places.  Just some suggestions for this nurse. ;-)

Mardrey Swenson, IBCLC in NH

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