News From the Nursery Lab 2008-5

Now that we're back to full lab tech staffing for a few weeks, I'm only assigned to NICU for the full shift a couple of times a week. (Have to share it with the rest of the LT's, you know...)

Today was the day. It was made temporarily memorable by several little things, like me stepping out of the elevator and almost falling into Dr. Smellgood's arms. Wish that one would have worked out a little better. *grin* The research crew treated the lab staff to pizza for weighing and notating a whole bunch of blood samples over the past year. There wasn't a single one of us who was sad to see that scale leave the lab, believe me! The daddy of a new little one actually listened to something I said and gave me a compliment of sorts about it, which is kind of cute and I'll use it for the minor story in this post before telling you the memorable story.

Over the past few weeks, quite a few nurses have commented that the babies often don't cry, do not have "Brady's", and many times will not even wake up when I do the draw. I just laugh and tell them that it's nothing more than a simple case of "grandma magic" and let it go at that. Of course, it's a little more than that, but it's easier than explaining in boring detail why I think it works.

Anyway, a glucose was needed on this little guy today. Mom was coming over from Mother/Baby to feed and the lab results would determine whether or not Baby would get to go home. As I'm finishing the stick, I hear the parents and the nurse coming down the hall, the nurse griping she had told the lab to come over but didn't see the paperwork; of course not, I wasn't done with that yet;)

Everyone was surprised to see me in the room.

"He's not crying!" they all exclaimed.

"Nope, he's not. He jumped when I did the poke, but that's all. I just used my "grandma magic" on him."

So, when I left, dropping the paperwork at the nurse's desk, I glanced back in, wishing them the best results on the test and my hopes they'd get get to be dismissed from the hospital to begin life as a family as a result.

Dad looked up and smiled and said, "Goodbye - and thank you, Grandma Magic."

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But the story of the day has to be the one that left all of us slack-jawed with amazement. I think more than one of us may be a little concerned at the lack of common sense seen.

My co-worker and I were both in the newborn nursery drawing labs and newborn screens. In attendance at that moment were several nursing students attached to their mentors, a staff doc with several residents in tow.

Another nurse comes in, pushing a bed ahead of her with a decidedly upset and squalling infant inside. It was decided that for the good of the baby it should remain in the nursery away from the parents for a little while unless supervision was possible, or some educational tapes had been watched along with some basic instruction on the care of newborns.

Baby was very uncomfortable. His little tummy was in an uproar, and it was suspected that it would be over the next several hours.

You see, Daddy had decided that since Mommy's milk hadn't come in yet, Baby had to have something to eat - and fed the poor little thing chicken noodle soup. That's right, you read it correctly.

Chicken noodle soup.

To his credit, when the nurse checked in on the parents, he asked her if he could feed the baby some soup. When she told him that was not an option, he admitted he already had. At least he didn't lie by omission.

My initial reaction was that I hope this guy gets smarter or he gets snipped before contributing any further to the gene pool.