Nicu incident-would u be angry?

[Linz88]

I felt very hurt yesterday- i was sitting down with my babygirl when one of the nurses came in and said hi everyone ive decided to come and keep u company on my day off then she introduced her boyfriend dan to all her friends, dan had his outdoor coat in his hands and was messing with his mobile! That hurt me so much, i go to the hospital from morning till 11pm at night (last bus) my mom can only visit between 3-7 but she hardly can as my little brothers cant come, her dad doesnt come either,

 

[Linz88]

Ive asked to change my moms visitin times to before 3pm bt they say no. So i asked if my aunt can come and support me and they said no too! So it just hurt e that DAN came in, they see i need the support! i understood that they have rules but it just seems abit fake nw

 

[AP]

I would perhaps have a word with whoever is in charge.

He should NOT have been allowed in. Whether he was clean etc, he has no reason to be in that neonatal unit, near preemies, near children that he has NOTHING to do with and I am sure whoever is in charge would agree.

I am not even allowed to work NEXTDOOR in an office next to a nursery without a disclosure

 

[Linz88]

Its tru- he shouldnt be allowed there the rules are only parents, grandparents and siblings NOT staffs boyfriends! Im defo gona mention it xx

 

[Laura2919]

I would have word. I think its not fair that a random stranger can just walk in and see all the little babies but your parents cant. My nurse made my sister sit outside the door and look at Chloe and Jaycee who were by the window next to the door. It was awful! and then I went there one day and another nurse had let another couples mum in! I was so angry! I had a word because I said rules are rules and if I have to stick to them so does everyone else!

 

[NZBeth]

Wow, can I just say that I am so glad I didn't have my preemie boy in the UK! Our visiting hours were much longer (10-1 and 3-8), and anyone was allowed to visit with a parent present (max two visitors including the parent, no children apart from siblings), and visitors were allowed in the absence of a parent as long as they were on a list left by the parents to allow them to visit while they weren't there, so grandparents etc could come in when the parents were taking a break.

I would have a definately have a word about the nurse's boyfriend though...

 

[AP]

NZBeth i prefer shorter smaller visiting times, in our hospital it meant the babies got rest and nurses could get on with things.

Saying that if some nurse just brought their bf in i'd be pissed off, my 6 year old sister didnt even get a glimpse of my LO until she got out 12 weeks later. So having a stranger around with so much as visual access would anger me

 

[divadexie]

I would definitely say something!

Our visiting times are 3-7.30 for anyone other than parents (i cant remember if siblings are allowed in whenever) and for parents well i cant remember really but I think its like 8.30 am?? until 10pm but I never payed attention to this as I was told to come whenever I wanted when I was in hospital still, or when I stayed over, as long as I wasnt in there when it was staff changeover or rounds

 

[Blah11]

Yeah, thats dangerous for the babys. I take my daughter into my work (its a geriatric hospital) even though no under 12s are allowed. However that rule is more so loads of kids arent running about the bays and amelie doesnt go in the bays at all. I like smaller visiting times too. If its really long visiting times, people still expect nurses to be free to update them on patients condition and thats not really practical if its for a period longer than a few hours.

 

[AP]

Yeah Blah thats what I was thinking, if the hours were longer everyone and their grannies(literally) would be asking nurses questions and they cant spend all day doing that!

 

[Linz88]

Hi visiting times are 24 hours a day for parents and parents other children and 3pm-7pm for grandparents! no other visitors allowed, i respect that but its jus hard as my mom can visit but she cant bring my brothers and there only young so cant stay at home alone xx

 

[_Vicky_]

oohh gosh thats bad - in Derby hospital its anytime for parent and grandparents (as long as the parents ok the granparents) they also have a policy that you can create a list of people that can come see LO if you arent there.

Big hugs to you with your NICU stay - I remember it like it was yesterday xxxxxxxxx

 

[NZBeth]

I guess maybe things were a bit different here as people didn't tend to have that many visitors. The higher levels of the NICU cater for most of the South Island (the highest level may even have covered the whole of SI, I'm not entirely sure) so parents may have been several hours from home and staying in local accommodation like Ronald McDonald House. With a maximum of two visitors per cot at any time, including a parent, it never seemed to get busy or crowded. I was lucky enough to get a room at Ronald McDonald so spent most of the day and evening there every day so had a good chance to see how it was. If it had only been afternoon hours then my two other children would not have seen their brother until he came home as my 2yr old was still having an afternoon nap, as it was they only came in for a few minutes at the weekends. Parents were allowed in 24/7 with no restrictions. Visitors got updates from the parents, not the nurses so they weren't constantly bothered by visitor questions. I guess different hospitals have different policies and ways of dealing with things.

 

[Linz88]

Inoo i respect there policys bit it seems soo unfair! X

 

[NZBeth]

It certainly does seem unfair, they should allow a support person to come in even if it isn't a grandparent or partner - we all need someone to support us at this time! One of the girls in the NICU here had her sister come in a lot as her support person.

I hope you did say something about the nurse's boyfriend coming in?

 

[quaizer]

Sorry, but think Dan needs shooting! He shouldnt have his outdoor stuff on and the staff shouldnt be so insensitive!! xx

 

[vermeil]

wow... our hospital here in Montreal is really strict then. Absolutely no visitors expect parents. Husband and I can visit 24 hours a day, but no one else. Conditions are sterile and strictly enforced.

Perhaps because it`s a hospital specialized in neonatal and they get the biggest cases from all other hospitals in the province.

I'm actually glad it`s this way. These babies have no immune systems. My bubbah`s 5 weeks old and has already had 3 infections, despite all their precautions. I can`t imagine what it would be like with more visitors. It also relieves parents from the stress of who gets to visit when. Answer: no one. No infighting or arguments. problem solved and I love the quiet, private time with bubbah.

 

[premmiemum123]

You should speak to the Sister on the ward, that is unacceptable. No boyfriend of a nurse should be allowed on the unit. How odd for her to bring him in. It is not right. xx

 

[Linz88]

You should speak to the Sister on the ward, that is unacceptable. No boyfriend of a nurse should be allowed on the unit. How odd for her to bring him in. It is not right. xx

the sister was there, there was about 6 nurses in the unit at the time- i dnt think she expected ne visitors to be there bt i stay later at nyt! And guess wt now no visitors r allowed except parents cz theres a super bug its gna b in the papers tomorrow!

 

[MandaAnda]

Units tend not to let children who aren't the baby's siblings visit due to illness - you know how kids are always picking up something at school.

As for the nurse having her boyfriend in, that's bang out of order. It's unprofessional, for one. As mentioned, I very much doubt he's CRB checked (and definitely not for the NICU). And he didn't observe handwashing precautions, etc.

I know you said the sister was on the ward, but does the unit have a manager? There are often sisters working clinically, but there's usually a unit manager and/or matron that's even in charge of the senior sisters. That's who you need to ask to have a word with. You (and all the other parents) deserve an apology, and that nurse needs to be disciplined. I can't imagine a NICU nurse doing something so stupid - the cheek! She should know better.