Sep 30

Posted by My OB said WHAT?!?.

“…I Can Send Her Down To NICU & They Can Put An IV In Her…”

“Well, I can give her a bottle of formula here or I can send her down to the NICU and they can put an IV in her. You know the risks of an IV. What do you want me to do?” – Postpartum nurse to mother who had birthed a 35 weeker, and the baby was doing great but had one borderline test result for blood glucose.

60 people dislike these words.

There are 23 comments to this post.

Naturo-Mommy had this to say, Sep 30, 2012 @ 9:28 am (Quote)

Or… how about I put her to my breast and all of her levels stabilize on their own?

Kristy had this to say, Sep 30, 2012 @ 9:29 am (Quote)

What do I want you to do? Get me your supervisor.

Tiffany had this to say, Sep 30, 2012 @ 9:46 am (Quote)

I want you to leave me the heck alone and let me nurse my baby on demand. Your replacement can check her again at shift change, and if she still needs help I will gladly discuss other, more baby (and breastfeeding) friendly options at that time, with her pediatrician.

Wendy had this to say, Sep 30, 2012 @ 9:49 am (Quote)

What I want you to do is physically impossible, besides something my baby shouldn’t hear. So, barring that, get the heck out of my room and send in the head nurse. Now.

Cathi had this to say, Sep 30, 2012 @ 10:06 am (Quote)

One of the reasons I switched majors and got out of nursing school was because the instructors all had the attitude of “those in the medical field are a notch above most other people. Our ways are the best ways, therefore we seek to manipulate, or by most means cause people to believe as we do “. Teaching,coercing, threatening, whatever gets the message across that the medical model of care is superior… Maybe it was just our school. Anyway, I switch to computer information systems, because the arrogance was getting on my nerves…hope the OP told that person to leave them alone…

Aron Reply:
October 1st, 2012 at 4:36 am Aron(Quote)

I’m sorry you experienced that. It sounds like perhaps it was related to that specific school. Please allow me to assure you that not all nursing schools are like that. (Certainly not the one I was in for my BSN, nor the one I’m in now for my MSN.) My former nursing ethics professor, in particular, would have field day with most of the docs and nurses these posts are about. I often wish she could have been there to verbally vaporize them for ignoring (her favorite phrase) “patient rights to autonomy, respect, compassion and human dignity.” Gosh, I miss Dr. Snider!

Jense Reply:
October 1st, 2012 at 3:40 pm Jense(Quote)

This is why I dropped out of medical school too. I couldn’t take it anymore.

Years later, I tried to enroll in a nursing program, thinking that would be different. Nope. Still the same.

I work as a writer now.

Cara had this to say, Sep 30, 2012 @ 1:08 pm (Quote)

Because formula has no risks at all, whatsoever…

Penny Reply:
September 30th, 2012 at 8:43 pm Penny(Quote)

That was exactly my thought.

Robert Reply:
October 20th, 2012 at 1:29 pm Robert(Quote)

Ever seen a hypoglycemic seizure?

Sarah Reply:
November 6th, 2012 at 5:28 am Sarah(Quote)

After a single borderline test result? I’m willing to bet you haven’t either.

Robert Reply:
November 7th, 2012 at 8:25 am Robert(Quote)

You’d lose that bet.

Neonates have minimal glycogen stores and can go from borderline hypoglycemia to critical abruptly.

The time to be looking for an IV is not when they are critical, unless you went them to end up with an IO.

Emily Reply:
November 17th, 2012 at 10:51 am Emily(Quote)

This was mine. I tried to post before, but it never showed up.
Basically this was the nurse being a bully. My baby was rooting on my chest eager to feed when this test resulted borderline low and the nurse told me that she wouldn’t let me breastfeed and would need to get a bottle because baby was hypoglycemic. I’m a nurse too and told her that I was going to breastfeed my hungry baby. That’s when she made the NICU IV comment. I asked for the pediatrician who took one look at my hungry baby and said she looked fine and to keep breastfeeding.

Tee had this to say, Sep 30, 2012 @ 3:15 pm (Quote)

“How sweet of you to ask me what I want to do! Please get me a glass of juice, dim the lights and leave me and my child alone. I’ll nurse her for awhile and then you may recheck her. If her levels are still off at that point, my husband and I will sit down with the pediatrician and discuss all the options, then make a decision from there.”

Kristin had this to say, Sep 30, 2012 @ 7:34 pm (Quote)

Or, and this is just my thought here, I could feed her myself.

Erin had this to say, Sep 30, 2012 @ 8:01 pm (Quote)

Ugh! This is not me, but totally could have been. I had a 35 weeker who did wonderfully other than a little trouble keeping her glucose levels up. One nurse in particular was just nasty and forceful about it. My pediatrician came in the next day and told her to cool it, my baby was fine! Love him!

Carolyn had this to say, Oct 2, 2012 @ 7:03 pm (Quote)

Aside from all that’s already been said (which i wholeheartedly agree with), a nurse doesn’t get to *send* a baby to the NICU or make the decision to place an iv. A pediatrician or a neonatologist makes that call (ideally after discussing with the parents) and hopefully not for such an asinine a reason as this. (Said by former NICU nurse.) OP -i hope this worthless excuse for a nurse left you alone to nurse your baby in peace.

Sheva had this to say, Oct 2, 2012 @ 10:02 pm (Quote)

I wonder if this nurse’s superiors would appreciate knowing that she uses IVs as a threat and that she resent them as dangerous.

louzannalady had this to say, Oct 11, 2012 @ 12:55 pm (Quote)

Hum… There is this little thing called “informed consent” where you, as my EMPLOYEE, tell me the good, the bad and the ugly about ALL of my options for treatment or care for my child and **I** weigh the risks and benefits and GET back to you, since this is not an emergency situation, with what YOU as my employee will do. Seeing as you are unclear what your job is, I need you to get out of my room- I never want to see your face, again and send in someone who can make arrangements to get released into a doctor who knows his or her place. Thank you very much and don’t let the door hit cha where your Higher Power split cha!

Robert Reply:
October 20th, 2012 at 1:31 pm Robert(Quote)

“since this is not an emergency situation”

Depends what the glucose is and how fast it is falling.

louzannalady Reply:
November 8th, 2012 at 8:43 am louzannalady(Quote)

Couldn’t be dropping too terrible fast… They have one borderline test, not a series of tests showing baby was somehow in danger! ; ) Even at that, there is no reason to threaten a mother. That mother has the right to informed consent and refusal for treatment 100% of the time- even in an emergency situation- unless a court intervenes.

sarah had this to say, Nov 6, 2012 @ 5:30 am (Quote)

Which I doubt could be determined from a single test.

Emily had this to say, Nov 17, 2012 @ 10:41 am (Quote)

This was mine. I tried to post before, but it never showed up.
Basically this was the nurse being a bully. My baby was rooting on my chest eager to feed when this test resulted borderline low and the nurse told me that she wouldn’t let me breastfeed and would need to get a bottle because baby was hypoglycemic. I’m a nurse too and told her that I was going to breastfeed my hungry baby because she was asking to eat. That’s when the nurse made the NICU IV comment. I asked to see the pediatrician who took one look at my baby and told me she was doing fine and to keep breastfeeding. And baby’s blood sugar normalized all on it’s own.

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