Isaac's nurse tonight did not project the aura of competence that his other ones have. In fact, the adjective that comes to mind is "bumbling," like a well-meaning kid who cleans your mirror with sandpaper. No, our kids have not done that. Yet.
Rachel and I broke for dinner at 9, and when we came back up Nurse Incompetent was poking about in poor Isaac's wrist with a needle trying to put an IV in. After two pokes and much subcutaneous probing, she gave up and called for The IV Team. (Kind of like the A-Team, only, you know, for IVs. Rachel has never seen the A-Team. Makes me feel old.) But as the IV team was about to poke him again, Garry the NP arrived and said, Stop! I could tell he was pissed. "I didn't ask for an IV in him!" What he had done was express regret that the earlier IV had been taken out, in his opinion prematurely, but "you don't put an IV in unless you need to use it. He doesn't need one right now."
Nurses are only human and as NICU mistakes go this was relatively benign, but we are going to request that Nurse Incompetent not be assigned to Isaac again. Rachel didn't think it was worth complaining about for tonight's shift but once was more than enough.
(Later, after taking Rachel's expressed milk to the fridge, she got out formula to feed him. Rachel caught her and reminded her to use the breast milk. This woman just did not bring her A game tonight.)
[Rachel commentary: She also kept putting the diaper over the umbilical stump rather than folding it below the navel so that the cord stump doesn't become contaminated with urine or poop. Twice I fixed the diaper after she changed him. The next day we talked with the charge nurse and requested that that particular nurse not be Isaac's nurse again.]
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