Im scared of babies...well really im scared of ill babies more.
The paramedic and technician come in you can see the panic on there face , they are older men , i bet they have children of there own or have seen enough well babies to know there is something wrong with this wee mite. Mum is carrying him and closely followed by the crew. The tiny baby is put on our massivley big trolley making it look like a pea in a mountain, It is making slow and uncoordinated movements and making a noise like a kitten miawing. It is a gray and mottled colour, its skin feels like a frozen peach.
We get a handover from the paramedic it is precise and to the point and he stands at the door and watches his face is concerned and he bits his bottom lip. The technician books the baby in at reception i think he was glad to get away from pressure of the mums eyes boring into his head.
I stand and stare not knowing what to do , its so tiny, i attach our little monitors. It told us that the wee one was saturationg at 80% and even i know thats not good. The kids tray is set up and the peadiatric Doctors set about gaining access to take bloods and taking capillary bloods. Babies seem to cope for a long time and then become really ill really quickly. There didnt seem to be enough room for all the people each trying to get into a little bit of skin to do there test or procedure. In a bay we have a Peads SHO, JHO, Reg, A and E consultant, FY2, 2 A and E nurses, 2 Kids Nurses , paramedic,technician, mum and dad. Trying to move was hard but i had to try and calculate the dose of ceftriasone for an 18 week old baby, it was complicated something i had never done before and the consequences are massive.
Baby was getting quieter and quieter and grayer, 100% O2 was not picking up the saturations and baby was not improving, i was speaking with the other nurse and we were monitoring the baby while the drs waiting on the results of tests and a CXR, he went blue arched his back and rolled his eyes back . it was the scariest thing i have seen. It seemed like a life time . Thankfully a swift sternal rub brought him back. I have never been so glad to hear a miaw from a baby.
