The other night I engaged in a bit of bad nursing that turned out quite well.  I took over from another nurse caring for a Korean speaking woman and didn't check out her admission questionaire.  The delivery went just fine, she pushed well when I told her, in English, that she could push, so it would seem that she did at least understand some English.  Also her English speaking husband and cousin were with her, along with her Korean speaking mother.  After cleaning her up from the birth, the first thing I did, as usual, was assist her to breastfeed.  Trying to help her with the left breast, she said "No good" pointing to her inverted nipple, then pointed to the perfectly erect nipple on her right breast.  I thought, what the hey, might as well start on the easy breast first.  So with very little assistance she began breastfeeding on the right breast, and the baby suckled like a charm as I went on to do my recovery room charting.  After a bit her cousin said, "Her mother want!
 s to know when you're going to give the baby a bottle."  I assurred her that we didn't plan to give the baby a bottle at all, he was breastfeeding just fine.  "Oh, she said.  That's no good.  She didn't plan to breastfeed, she wants to bottle feed."
Oops!  See what you get for not checking the admission papers.  I told the patient and family that she certainly didn't need to breastfeed.  She could bottle feed if she wanted, but that wasn't done in recovery.  When we took the baby to the nursery he would get his bath then he could have a bottle when his temperature was stable.  Again I said, looking at the patient, you don't have to breastfeed.  It was my mistake.
And the mom went right on breastfeeding.  I have the feeling that situation might continue.  Joyce Jones


____________________________________________________________________
Get free e-mail and a permanent address at http://www.netaddress.com/?N=1