OMG OT but this is the most terrible thing thats ever happened to me at work.

[mj_mommy_manda]

As some of you ladies might know I work in a hospital.  Well part of my job is to go to different departments and give breaks to other registrars working.. So I sit a half hour at their desk while they eat lunch then go to a different department.  I go to the ER and give 2 breaks, one to the lady in front and one to the registrar in back.  So today when I went down to the ER to give breaks I was in the back registering a little girl when a squad (ambulance) came in with a 1 year old PNB (pulse not breathing).  I had to get his information from his mom because Im the one who puts the patient in the system when they arrive at the hospital.. I went in to talk to his mom and she was hysterical.  I almost started crying on the spot.  The hospital chaplin was there, they called the STAT team down to the ER and he is red on the board (red is really really bad.  It goes blue, green, yellow, red.) I was holding back tears the entire time I was back there, when I came upstairs by the other girls I work with I told them about it and burst out crying.. I can't imagine EVER going through something like this.  I guess the baby was stuck between his crib and the wall and his mom found him like that.  Just thought I would share the news to get it off my mind a little.. I really hope he is ok :(

[mj_mommy_manda]

Thank you so much for your kind words.  After that incident I didn't know if I would be strong enough to handle a career in OB after my schooling either.  My boss told me to keep working at it.  I think the first incident is always the hardest because it's an experience you have never dealt with.  Not saying that it gets any easier but at least then you aren't completely oblivious to the fact that it happens and it doesn't only happen on tv or somewhere far away.  It happens at the hospital you work at with the staff you know.  On my nice long drive home I reflected and cried about the baby and its something that I will never forget, but it is also something that has made me stronger as a person.  Things happen for weird reasons but we have to deal with them and move on.  Thank you again for your kind words and for sharing your experience with me.  I am still going to keep going with my schooling for OB sometimes you just have to realize that the good outweighs the bad and when something bad happens at least I will be the type of person who can sympathize with my patients.  :)

[sweetangel7]

I don't even know what to say...I just read all the posts and went up and down the emotional roller coaster!  Hopefully someone who hears about this will be more crib cautious and another life can be saved...I know I'll be thinking twice about cribs and sleeping arrangements when I have a baby after reading this!

[LosingMyMindInGA]

I can tell you from experience....people like YOU make the best hospital staff.  It's those that have hardened hearts that are the worst.  My ob with my second pregnancy was absolutely awesome...I loved her...I ended up having a stillbirth and it crushed her...she stayed with me the whole time I was in labor so she could deliver me even tho her bosses were telling her to go home, she'd been there too long.  She stayed.  Later she admitted that she spent a lot of time crying and had considered giving up the obstetrics part of her work.  She eeven came to check on me on her day off on the way home from church.  I sent her a card and let her know just how much that meant to me.  My son was the first stillbirth she'd had to deal wtih.  I encouraged her to COnTINUE ob work becuase she WAS so compassionate and good at it.  

It sounds liek you are the same way....don't give up.  You're compassion and your kind heart are going to help many many women in many different ways.

[kennedydp5]

joy-  hey they actually have a gate that mounts to the wall, but its at the bottom of the stairs instead of at the top.  for the time being, my nephew is only upstairs when he is going to sleep or taking a bath.  but once he gets a toddler bed i know everything will change and there will be new dangers!  

[JoyRenee]

kennedydp, I have an AMAZING baby gate that I found online for $35 at Target. It's wooden and you actually have to mount it into the walls. The spring-rod gates will not work because babies can plow right through them and fall down the stairs.

[kennedydp5]

its totally normal to have fears before the baby is born!  i think everyone goes through that nervousness...  i tear up all the time when my babies do things...  but its happy tears, lol!  

[mj_mommy_manda]

Joy- I totally understand the overprotective thing and letting your child learn things on their own.. I think Im going to have a very hard time with this.  Hopefully not as hard as I imagine though.

Kennedydp- Thats a smart idea to move baby out of the crib when they show that they might try to climb out.. That's probably what I will do too. I registered for one of those movement sensors on babies r us for my son.  So that when he doesn't move an alarm goes off.  I have read really good reviews.. Its scary that your babies have to grow up and become more independant.. I know ill probably be the type of mom that bursts into tears when her baby starts walking instead of being happy.  Lol Im just so afraid for his life already.  I hope Im not a nervous wreck like this afer he is born.. Hopefully its just my crazy hormones! lol

[kennedydp5]

i know what you mean not knowing what's gonig on inside their minds...  its sad!  i've seen my granny get sooooo upset over things that aren't even happening!  and of course her not remembering who any of us are!  she always asks my dh if she knows him from the store she used to work at out at the beach...  so he said the next time she says "don't i know you?" he was just going to say "yes, i work at pic-n-save at the beach" and get it over with, lol.

[kennedydp5]

all 3 of my girls have never tried to climb out of their crib (i guess i'm lucky so far!).  we actually had to take our first out of the crib (at 2 yrs old) to put our 2nd dd in it...  and then the same w/ our 3rd and will be the same w/ our 4th  (good crib, huh?!?!)  each of our children were in our room until about 11 months old then we put them in their own rooms.  i check on constantly!  my oldest has always been a shallow breather so i have to put my hand on her to make sure she's breathing (we used to put her paci on her tummy when she was a baby so we could see from across the room that she was breathing!).  my 2nd gets overheated really easy so i'm always checking on her body temp to make sure she's not too hot.  and then my 3rd is still in the crib...  you always think they're safe in there and nothing can happen, but things can happen anywhere and it really is scary!  i emailed my SIL about this and told her to make sure that when connor shows signs of trying to climb out of the crib, then its time for a toddler bed...  AND a gate at his door b/c their rooms are upstairs!

[jesslee83]

lol, i know it's not funny, but there were times i'd be chased with what is called a gait belt. it's used to assist people with walking issues.....unfortunately, i had coworkers who when i called for help, thought it was funny, and wouldnt come in to help me calm this particular lady down.....it's funny when i look back on it, but at that time, since you don't know what's going on inside theirminds, it's some scary **** lol.....



i just told df about this and told him the crib is going smack against the wall, until it's a sideless toddler bed.....we have an extremely heavy crib, so i dont see how alex will be able to get caught.....we have one of the older crib 4 life's....with the changing table on one end, drawers on the other....i have to use both hands just to scoot the thing around! and also, the tile in our house is wierd from where they messed up laying the grout underneath, so the crib actually has to be lifted to be moved, otherwise it gets hung up on the tile.....

[JoyRenee]

Just last week my 16-month-old did a flip off of the back of the couch and landed head-first onto our hardwood floor. She was fine and didn't have a concussion or any bleeding, etc. There are dangers in the world we cannot protect our children from and to keep them from having experiences will hinder their growth and development. Not to mention drive the parents to extremes that will also not be healthy for the parent's wellfare.

Children need independence at some point (little bits when they're toddlers and then obviously that grows and expands) and they will fight for that independence. I saw a mom at the playground following her little boy (older than my 3 year old) saying, "Jimmy be careful. Be careful. Be careful. Be careful, Jimmy!" She was breathing down his neck and not giving him room to TRY and do things, even if it meant he might get hurt.

I know it's scary and that what you witnessed was BEYOND awful. But this IS a rare occurence. The crib we have has wheels so if my daughter were to climb out, she wouldn't be stuck between the wall and crib and suffocate.

You have to find a balance between making sure your child is safe, while in the meantime allowing them to explore. Otherwise you'll just go crazy.

[mj_mommy_manda]

Yeah I told the girl I work with that after this incident my baby will not have his own room.. We were getting ready to decorate the nursery but looks like he will be staying in my bedroom until he is old enough to understand the dangers.  I have heard of babies falling out of cribs and breaking bones.. This scares the **** out of me now that I have witnessed first hand what it can lead to.  Im probably being really overprotective but my son will not sleep anywhere that I am not present to keep an eye on him, I could never lose another baby.. I have already had 3 miscarriages and will have a hard time with pregnancy my entire life.  If I were to lose a child I would lose it myself.

[sim23]

its really heart breaking!!! we parents should not shift our babies out of our sight untill they are big enough to undersatnd the dangers.may be till 3 yrs of age.sorry for the family..

[kennedydp5]

my granny (and pawpaw) are in a nursing home and she also has alzheimers...  she's tried to beat up my mom and aunt on numerous occasions...  i can only imagine what the nursing staff has to go through on a daily basis!

[jesslee83]

i used to work in a nursing home, and they tell us not to get too "attached", but it is sooo hard! you care for these people day in and day out(and i was assigned to alzheimers, so i saw the same 10 people every day!), and they become you're family away from family!!!  i cried so hard when 1 woman died, even though she beat me up a couple times when she got really bad, and i requested a day off.....i'll always remember her.....when it got to where she wouldnt eat(she was in a wheelchair), she'd watch what i was doing, and steal my dr peppers! it got to where her last week, the ONLY thing she was consuming was dr pep.....a few of the other aides cussed me out, but finally our DON said Dp was better than nothing....so i can imagine how you feel mj, it's really hard, even when it's a perfect stranger....and in this case, he is perfect.....may god be with the family, and i'm sure his place in heaven is waiting on him.....

[JoyRenee]

Oh no, I'm so sorry he didn't make it! That is just absolutely awful and I cannot imagine the guilt the parent(s) must be feeling! *HUGS*

[mj_mommy_manda]

Thank you! Im starting to feel better now that I talked to my boss about it and Im sure I willl feel much better once I talk to my mom and boyfriend.  Like I said its just so hard for me to even think about stuff like that.. I can't imagine seeing and dealing with things like that on a daily basis, its just too heartbreaking for me.. Thanks ladies for all your help with this.. Its just been a terrible day.

[agomez333]

Hey girl I wrk in an ER so I know EXACTLY what you are going through. It is so hard when it is someone young that something so tragic happens to. I know that sounds bad, but its alot easier to cope with if it is someone elderly. My heart goes out to you and the best advice I can give you is keep talking about it to friends and us if you need to. The more you talk about it and get it out the easier it will get. A few years ago we had twin 3 yr olds come in who had drowned in the families pooland didn't make it. It took a while, but you eventually think about it less and less. Unless you are the family I am sure.

That is so sad and I am sorry you had to be a part of it... We are all here if you need to talk about it more and more... Good luck with the rest of your shift. I hope you don't have another bad shift for a very long time..

[mj_mommy_manda]

Well thanks ladies.  My boss just came up here to chat and she looked at me and I burst into tears lol I couldn't even tell her what happened (she is really close with all her employees and likes to chat with them daily and keep updated) She told me that if it was bothering me alot that I could talk to the hospital chaplin because he deals with things like this alot.. I just really relate to people so I have a really hard time with this.. Kind of making me rethink choosing a career in obstetrics.  I am done with work in 3 hours so I will wait it out and call my mom and let it all out, I dont want to cry at work because I dont want to scare patients or co workers.. I think its just so hard because Im pregnant and I cant imagine losing my baby and he isn't even born yet.  

[abbysmommy4]

My prayers go out to the family.  I somewhat know the mothers pain, my son died at 6 months old of SIDS.  I know her heart is breaking and I pray that God surrounds her with a hedge of Angels.  

[Jen133]

OMG, I can't believe it.  That is so devastating.  My prayers will go out to his mom and family and pray that God gives them the strength they need to get through this.

I'm very sad right now.  I can't imagine how you feel being pregnant and having to see this little baby come in like this.  I'm so sorry. :-(

[kennedydp5]

OH, NO......  i just told my SIL that the little boy was stable, too!  that is just too awful to think about!  i could NEVER work in the medical field...  i'm not strong enough for that!  i can't imagine what that poor mom is going through!  i don't know what else to say.......  

**praying for the family**

[mami1323]

I think you should go and cry it out.  It will relieve the pressure of holding back the tears.  That's bs that you need to not let it affect you....your human and only people who have no feelings could be that way.  

[mj_mommy_manda]

The thing that keeps going through my head is that his birthday was 5 days ago.. She probably had him a little party and all the decorations and gifts are probably still laying around :( Im trying soo hard to hold back tears, Im thinking about just going into the bathroom and crying.. Im already emotional enough as it is.  They always taught us that if we want to work in the medical field we cant let this stuff get to us but how can people be so strong and not let it get to them.. Its a little baby that didnt even get to live life and now hes gone.  This is too hard.  My anxitey levels are through the roof right now.