Monday, September 15, 2008

save the drama for your mama

it's all in how you look at it, but i do find my job hysterical at times. i don't often get to act as a "real" nurse because i am a charge nurse. when i do get the chance to take patients i always have an interesting night and somehow my friend, we will call her l for the sake of privacy, is always involved.

so i got a patient by transport and they were reporting that the mom was full of drama. they were just going on and on about how she freaked about about each little thing and they were so happy to be rid of her. well, i walk into the room and meet a very sweet little baby, mother and grandma. all parties seem to be very likable in my opinion, so i just assume that transport was being hateful.

i get orders to take the baby to the tx room to do a straight cath urine and some blood work. mom and grandma want to come with. fine i say, it doesn't ever bother me to have parents breathing down my neck. i had a little bit of a hard time getting the catheter to slip in the right spot. it happens.

after a little trouble, in it went and out came my pretty yellow urine. mom is sobbing by this point which is fair i guess it is hard to watch a stranger poke things in your baby's hoo haw.

grandma says to mom here, hold her for a minute. ok, she picks up her baby and i stand back and wait for mom and baby to calm down a minute before i get started on my blood draw.

im still not 100% sure why, but mom started screaming and threw the baby at grandma, who according to my friend "l" threw her coffee down just in time to take baby. she flips her upsidedown and they are both hollerin about the baby not breathing and oh my goodness she is blue, she is limp, she is blue, she isnt breathing.

my friend l and i just stand there watching it all play out. i mean, we are in a pediatric hospital, and i am a nurse so we could step in and save this baby's life at any point.

i decide to just let grandma have at it for a little while longer. mom is just crying and hollering and grandma is doing everything but stand the baby on its head. my friend l gets this look on her face like she is about to stop the drama if i dont, so i ask what seems to be the problem.

now i will tell you this baby was pink as a petunia and breathing the whole time.

i take the baby and tell mom to go take a breather in the hallway and perhaps grandma could go check on her. im not kidding folks i have never seen somebody throw a baby so fast before, it was like a perfectly executed football move.

next thing i know my other friends are busting in thinking something exciting is going on because apparently grandma and mom are having a moment in the hallway about their blue baby.
i am guessing the cause of all the drama was a little reflux and spit up. we finished up with the baby and sent the poor crying mom back to her room with grandma.

my lesson learned here is that those transport people are pretty clever, so if they say there is drama they are probably right on point.

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