Baby Jane Doe #31

Well, it was Labor Day yesterday and I have to work that night. It sucks because instead of staying home and have an ice-cold beer I have to get up early and ready myself for the night's work.

When I arrived at work I was told that it was my turn to get floated. Our unit has only six patients plus one coming for admission, so technically we only needed two staff nurses. There were three of us scheduled so I ended up getting tossed up to Newborn Nursery in 8 East floor.

It was been a long time that I haven't been to Newborn Nursery. I think the last time I got floated there was been this last Spring. Since our census peaked after Spring I got the chance to enjoy plotting my overtime and never been floated not until now.

Now that Summer was over, our Pediatric census markedly plunged down to accomodate only two staff nurses per schedule. I was unfortunate to get floated today.

Having floated to Newborn Nursery was another plus or advantage for me. I never complained going there because I liked normal newborn babies. I'm not boasting but with my experience in Neonatal and Pediatric Intensive Care, I can say that normal Newborn Nursery add up to my nursing qualifications.

Working in Newborn Nursery is fun and challenging. I got to assess normal newborn babies, do the Dubowitz assessment or Ballard's assessment, draw labs for septic babies, gave them their initial bath, got to bottlefeed them when they're hungry, and change their diaper when they get wet. I love working there all the time.

When I get to the Nursery my partner was apparently getting report from the off-going morning nurses. I just quietly joined them and intently listened to the endorsement process. We have four boarders and one of them is a hyperbili-baby.

The three were just feeders and the bili-baby was been under double bili-light. I took the hyperbili-baby and Baby Jane Doe #31.

Baby Jane Doe #31 was an abandoned baby being left by her mother at the Emergency Room. Because of confidentiality issues the baby was named as Jane Doe #31 and she is the 31st abandoned baby in our hospital this year of 2009 hence the number 31.

See how many abandoned babies were being admitted in our hospital alone? How much more around Los Angeles? the whole United States? and even the whole world.?

Even us nurses were prohibited to know the mother's whereabouts as per hospital policy. We just have to conform or rely with the information given to us by the chart and the Social Worker, albeit the mom's information was still unknown to us.

Our hospital, being a safe haven for abandoned babies utilized it's Social Service Department to protect the baby's right to live by coordinating with Department of Child and Family Services (DCFS) to look for potential foster parents for these abandoned children until they can find a qualified adoptive parents who are willing to take care of the baby.

I assessed Baby Jane Doe #31 and did her vital signs. I then changed her wet diaper and prepared to feed her. She was a very quiet baby, not fussing a lot and eats well. I mean she is a very good baby and not giving me any hard time at all when I am taking care of her.

I also noticed that she is a very pretty baby with rosey-cheeks, curved long eyelashes, pink-red pouty lips, and appropriate and proportionate button-high-nose. She is a very very beautiful baby. I just can't stop holding and pampering her as if I want to take her home.

If given a chance I want to adopt her, but because of paperwork and status issues it would be impossible for me to have her adopted. At least I enjoyed every precious moments I spend with her. I even took a picture of her on my iPhone but because of confidentiality issues I am prohibited and can't post it here, or else I will be in trouble.

I got to feed her every three hours and she just sleeps and eats well without making any trouble and fuss at all. I really liked taking care of her and holding her on my caring arms.

Whereas, my hyperbili-baby was always hungry and irritable inside his isolette. So I have to spend more time for him rather than Baby Jane Doe #31.

I also admitted two newly delivered babies from Labor and Delivery, assessed them, did the Ballards or Dubowitz and bathed them when they were warm enough under the radiant warmer. It was just easy for me to do this routine admission because I already mastered the rigors of newborn admission and assessment every time I get floated here.

The Dubowitz was kind of tricky sometimes but I usually got the gestational age right. My perseverance to really learn it was been paid off. Practice really makes it perfect. Now I can do the Dubowitz even if I close my eyes intentionally. It's always a challenge for me to do it and most of the time I got it right.

Then at 11 pm, the unit was so slow and there were no more deliveries pending or waiting in Labor and Delivery. So the charge nurse and the floor supervisor decided to flex somebody so I volunteered to go home.

At least I put up an ample four hours work and I'll just get it back if they call me for overtime on Wednesday because I put myself available for overtime.

After I'm done with  my general assessment for both my boarder patients I sadly bade goodbye to little Baby Jane Doe #31. I will surely missed her. I hope she will be okay and that the DCFS and Hospital Social Services can find her a good and more qualified foster parent as well as an adoptive parents. I will pray for her safety and good fate.

I left the hospital ten minutes after eleven and headed to the parking lot. While driving home I was happily smiling because now I can have an ice-cold beer to celebrate Labor Day eventhough it is already late. Well better late than never.

I passed by the nearby liquor store near my house and can't wait to drink my late Labor Day ice-cold beer, while watching my "Teleserye". Aaah.... it was indeed a good night for me.