How close is too close? When looking after such sick babies and their families you inevitably form a bond. They trust you with most important person in their world. You are meant to maintain a professional relationship… This however is easier said than done. In neonatal nursing there doesn’t seem to be a clear line.… Continue reading Blurred lines…
Dads. The unsung heroes. The forgotten parent. When it comes to looking after premature or sick babies, your heart goes out to the parents. Their world has been turned upside down. This time is so incredibly difficult and stressful for both parents, but both tend to react in different ways. Call me stereotypical, but generally… Continue reading Dads.
So comes the time that every person counts down to… Annual leave! I don’t know about the rest of you but it is a small feat for me not to become immediately ill the second I stop work for a few days. This week I have succeeded in staving off the coughs, colds and various… Continue reading Taking a break.
I Love Christmas. I mean it has changed a bit for me now. Gone are the days me, my brother and sister would run into my parents bedroom at 5am shouting that Santa had been to visit and asking when we could open all of our presents! Christmas is a day of family and loved… Continue reading Christmas on the NICU
I don’t know about you, even after everything I have seen, when I imagine starting a family, I picture a healthy little baby with chubby arms and legs nestled happily in my arms. When you start planning for a family, it is a happy time with great expectations. But sometimes things just don’t go to… Continue reading An Angel Taken too Soon.
The trouble with any form of intensive care is nothing is predictable. The other day I got to work, I was told I would be looking after two intensive care babies, they were twins. So I started my day doing my emergency safety checks, making a plan for the day, when nappies were due, when… Continue reading Organised Chaos.
That word. That word every healthcare professional dreads hearing. That word that should never be thought let alone said out loud. If fate can be tempted, the sure fire way to do it, is by uttering the word… ‘quiet’. I can hardly use the words ‘nice’ or ‘calm’ let alone the ‘Q’ word! If someone… Continue reading The ‘Q’ word.
It is the middle of the night. The phone rings on the NICU, it is delivery suite telling us a lady who is 23 weeks gestation has just come into triage and she is 10cm dilated, she is ready to deliver. We rush round, set up all of our emergency equipment just across the room… Continue reading A sad night…
Yesterday was such an amazing day at work. It was World Prematurity Day. There was raffles, cake sales and more. But the best bit was all the toddlers and children that came to visit. These children were very special ones to us. They once were tiny preterm babies. It was such a good day, to… Continue reading A Blast from the Past.
I will be working on World Prematurity Day (17th Nov), and what better way to spend it than with these tiny babies?! So this entry comes slightly early. To raise awareness, I thought I would share with you the journey of one of the babies I looked after a couple of years ago, just to… Continue reading World Prematurity Day!
Working in a World of Tiny Babies 