A sweet family

First, can I mention that it is already March.  Where the heck did February go!  That means I only have 6 months left of school.  It's both exciting and nerve racking at the same time.

So every third weekend I have to work and it happens that this past weekend was my weekend.  I finally was put on the floor on Saturday, which doesn't happen as often as I'd like.  Most of the time I have to fulfill sitter needs and get stuck in one kids room all day.  Being on the floor, I get to interact with more patients and families and it feels like more nursing than babysitting.  I had seven patients, but there was one family that just warmed my heart.  First thing in the morning, they accidentally had their call light on so I went to check in on the room.  I gave gentle knocks and walked in to find the parents of a 4 month old standing next to the crib comforting one another with a long embrace.  It was sweet, but I felt a little awkward barging into the room and being like, "ugh did you need something because your light was on?"  They were a middle-aged, spanish-speaking family with a their first baby who was vomiting regularly.  They were so nervous and worried and I was glad to be there to support them.  The dad spoke a little english and I was able to get out a few sentences in spanish so we hit it off right away.  They would call me to help put the baby back in bed or swaddle him because they were nervous about all the monitoring wires and IV.  After a short, non-invasive procedure the baby was cleared to start eating.  They asked me to stay and help burp him and watch to see if they're doing it right.  With pleasure and in very broken spanish I taught them the proper way to bottle feed and the best way to burp the baby as well as why it's important to do things that way.  I would talk to the dad and then he'd translate in just english to mom.  They were very appreciative.  At the end of my shift he asked if I'd be back tomorrow and were a little disappointed when I said I wasn't sure what floor I'd be on.  

While childless, I was able to learn a lot from shadowing a lactation consultant in mother/baby and was glad to pass along the information.  But what about all those new mothers out there?  I had my clinical at Northshore hospital in Evanston where there are a ton of resources, but what about those less leisurely hospitals?  I'm sure they don't have consultants as readily available or counseling/coaching for new families.  While I know some mothers could give two hoots, I know this mother would take advantage of every opportunity to learn the best care of her son if given.  You could see her heart ache with each whimper and while they were so compassionate, they were a little overwhelmed.  As much as I am annoyed by my Public health class, it's moments like these that I appreciate what public health nurses stand for.  They reach out into the community to promote preventative care and health awareness.  This was a prime situation where both parent and child could benefit from a few parenting classes.  Now will a little air in the nipple of a bottle kill the baby?  No, but it the options are available and the family is willing why not take a class or two?!  When I left for the night the family was super thankful and I am confident that he will be okay.  He has a home full of love, and that is more than a lot of the kids I see everyday at work.