One day coming home from a long afternoon from hiking, being 31 weeks pregnant, I felt much drained so I headed to bed. I woke up to a feeling of wetness; I turned on the light to find that it was blood. I screamed for my husband and we immediately went to the hospital. I was scared and just not sure what to do since this was my first child. When we got the hospital we found I was in labor. The hospital did everything they could to postpone the labor so I could at least receive steroids for my child’s lungs to develop faster. These needed to be in my system for 24 hours before delivery. After delivery, he was rushed to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). I wasn’t even able to see him. I was worried, anxious, and stressed. My son spent three weeks in the NICU which gave me a great opportunity to meet some amazing nursing staff; they really made you feel welcome and part of a family. After this experience I knew two things I really never wanted to be in this position of just feeling helpless and I felt I really wanted to be a neonatal nurse and be there for the children and their families through this difficult time. With the desire to work in such a rewarding job I have researched to be …show more content…
There are many degrees of Neonatal services in the hospital setting. Level one usually cares for healthy infants. These types of facilities are not really seen around the United States since they do not spend a lot of time in the hospital. They mainly spend their time with the parent or parents of the child. Level two handles the premature babies that need intermediate care such as extra time in the hospital or may require some special therapy. Level Three handles premature babies that may require special equipment to help them function on the basic fundamentals needed for life. Some examples of this would be a ventilator, feeding tubes, or surgeries. (Healthier for
After all the research I would still like to be a neonatal nurse. I am really interested in this job so I think I will stick with it. I like taking care of babies, they are so much fun.
Neonatal nursing is a field of nursing designed especially for both newborns and infants up to 28 days old. The term neonatal comes from neo, "new", and natal, "pertaining to birth or origin”. Neonatal nurses are a vital part of the neonatal care team. These are trained professionals who concentrate on ensuring that the newborn infants under their care are able to survive whatever potential life threatening event they encounter. They treat infants that are born with a variety of life threatening issues that include instances of prematurity, congenital birth defects, surgery related problems, cardiac malformations, severe burns, or acute infection. Neonatal care in hospitals was always done by the nursing staff but it did not officially become a specialized medical field until well into 1960s. This was due to the numerous advancements in both medical care training and related technology that allowed for the improved treatment and survival rate of premature babies. According to the March of Dimes, one of every thirteen babies born in the United States annually suffers from low birth weight. This is a leading cause in 65% of infant deaths. Therefore, nurses play a very important role in providing round the clock care for these infants, those born with birth defects or other life threatening illness. In addition, these nurses also tend to healthy babies while their mothers recover from the birthing process. Prior to the advent of this specialized nursing field at risk newborn infants were mostly cared for by obstetricians and midwives who had limited resources to help them survive (Meeks 3).
Since neonatal nursing is my special interest and field, I chose to write about the health care options which are available to parents having children in different hospitals throughout the world. With the state of the art technological advances in the neonatal units, there are so many options available for the care of newborn babies. I reviewed the neonatal units in Australia, Saudi Arabia, New York, Tokyo, Ireland, and California, and I have learned what It takes to run a neonatal intensive care unit all around the world.
Nursing is a profession that has always been in sight for me since I was four years-old and I fractured my elbow. I was playing with one of my friends who was also my neighbor. We were playing with a big pink, round, rubber ball. I remember thinking that it would be amusing to try and hug the ball and roll on the ground. Of course since I was only four at the time, I did not think to check my surroundings to make sure that it was a safe environment to be doing such an act. Once I finished my roll I slammed my elbow on a rock that was peeking through the top of the grass. I immediately shrieked out in pain and then had to go to the hospital. Throughout the whole experience I only remember one part of the hospital, the nurse. From the moment that she starting taking care of me in my room, when I was getting casted, to my discharge from the hospital she did nothing but provide high quality care while also making sure that I felt comfortable and relaxed the whole time. At that moment I told my mother that I wanted to be a nurse and that nothing else was going to persuade my decision.
There are more than 70% of premature babies that are born between 34 and 36 weeks gestation a year. When a baby is born early, or born with birth defects, the Neonatal Intensive Care unit is its first home. The nurse’s in the NICU have the difficult job of preparing baby’s and parents for a health life together. A baby who has been put into the NICU will stay there until it is healthy enough to go home.
A NICU nurse is there primarily to give care to the infants, but due to the poor health of the babies, it can create anxiety, stress, depression, and fatigue for the families. I want to help fight for those babies, but I also want to provide support and love for families that are walking in a complete nightmare, one they never dreamed they would be living.
The human infant is called a neonate who is less than 28 days old. (Potter, Perry, Ross-Kerr, & Wood, 2009, p. 333) The newborn goes through mostly reflex changes during this critical time which leads to bonding and deep attachments between the parents and the neonate during the first 28 days. The neonate I worked with was 18 days old, male, Muslim, goes by the initials MK and lived in a townhouse with his parents. During birth, the family requested as many female staff as possible due to religious reasons.
1. What is the difference between a. and a. Which K, S, and A pertain to the care you provided to the patient you have chosen? Why do you need to be a member? K- Describe the limits and boundaries of therapeutic patient-centered care. S- Assess levels of physical and emotional comfort.
family feel truly integrated into caring for the infant (Griffin, & Celenza, 2014, p. 107). While I do a head to toe assessment of the infant, I encourage parents to participate by obtaining the infants temperature, changing the infant’s diaper, and feeding the infant when applicable. Parents can be taught to participate in the cares of even critically ill infants.
In the field of nursing almost every tool that is used contains some type of computer technology, from a monitor displaying data to the thermometer used to take temperatures. Specifically, all of the technology that is used in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) is relatively new as this branch of nursing was not established until about the 1960’s. Although most of the technology created resembles a smaller version of the adult model, they must complete slightly different tasks for the babies. The four tools described are the cardiopulmonary monitor, pulse oximeter, continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), and the incubator or isolette.
I am interested in neonatal nursing because I have always wanted a career in the medical field. Although I was never exactly sure which position I wanted in the medical field, I knew I wanted to specialize in assisting infants. I myself was born
Labor is a very emotional process, and women often experience anxiety. Most of the research describes the rapid onset of pain relief from Nitronox is often accompanied by a decrease in anxiety and a sense of euphoria. These results occur with fewer reported maternal side effects than other methods of pain management. Less than 24% of patients reports slight drowsiness (Baysinger, 2014), and less than 36% percent of women report nausea & vomiting (Stewart et al., 2012).
When a couple becomes pregnant, they are envisioning their child and what they will look like, their future as a family and watching the child grew and learn (Rahimina, 2013). They do not envision having complications during pregnancy and/or birth; they do not envision having to leave their child at the hospital within the NICU when they are being discharged, this leads to many stressors and complications for the parents and families of these infants, possibly a crisis (Rahiminia, 2013). Children are not admitted to a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit unless they are born prematurely, born with low birth weight, born suffering birth complications, have a congenital abnormality, or are critically ill (Gimenez & Sanchez-Luna, 2015). According to World Health Organization (WHO) (2015), prematurity, defined as any child born before 37 weeks of gestation. Preterm is further broken down into three sub-categories: extremely preterm (<28 weeks), very preterm (28 weeks to 32 weeks), and moderate to late preterm (32 weeks to 37 weeks) (World Health Organization, 2015).
There are so many opportunities in nursing and so many ways to challenge myself and learn new things. I decided to go to school for my lpn when I had my first child. I had so many questions about my new baby’s health and her growth and development that I decided that becoming a lpn would help me know more about medicine and treatments. I was brand new at nursing, I had no medical background and neither did anyone in my immediate family. I remember hearing my family talk about diabetes, which is common in my family and all the myths and rumors they believed to be true. I chuckle now thinking back to the stories that they told and how false most of their information was.
I chose Neonatal Nurse Practitioner as a career because I love working with kids and helping others. Ever since I was in fifth grade I loved spending time/ babysitting with my baby cousins. My family always tells me I am compassionate and have a strong love for younger children. Oh the other hand, my sister and a few of my cousins are nurses on the labor and delivery floor, which has influenced me tremendously. I have always been curious to see what it is like to take care of our future generations. On a personal level, nursing appeals to me for many reasons, but some of the primary ones include the fulfillment of my life’s purpose and its family-friendly nature. In order to fully understand the relevance of Neonatal Nursing in today’s society, it is imperative to explore the benefits, background, programs, and