By, Lori Boggan
Organ transplantation, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, dates back as early as 1869 with the first skin transplant. The first kidney transplant occurred nearly one hundred years later in 1954. Organ transplantation has saved countless lives. In 2014, transplantation history was made. It was the year the first transplantation bore life. Continue reading
by, Lori Boggan, RN
Working in neonatal intensive care can be tough no matter how long you have worked in it. With time however, many things become routine. 500 gram babies are our business. Cooling asphyxiated babies is our business. We are used to this world – the ventilators, the treatments, the pumps, the alarms. The thing is, the parents and family are not used to this. It is shocking, frightening. It is our duty to remember this is their first experience in a world they never imagined, perhaps did not even know existed. How can we as care providers support them? Continue reading
by, Marilyn Pierce-Bulger, ANP
Jason is a 13 year old boy who knows he is different but he does not understand why. He blames himself for the difficulty he has had in school and with social relationships over the years. He thinks he is not trying hard enough or is not smart enough. His teachers and parents view him as willful, rather, than ‘unable’ due to his hidden disability. Continue reading
When we launched AWHONN Connections in May of this year, we could not have imagined the response that we would have received from our members, nurses, parents and members of the media.
In less than a year our blog has received over 232,000 visits, from 167 countries and had 4 blogs republished on the Huffington Post! As the year comes to a close we want to say a HUGE Thank You to our readers and our bloggers.
Here’s Our 2015 Top Ten Round Up! Continue reading
by, Tracy Whitman, RN
Premature babies depend on us as nurses and parents to be their advocates, their protectors, and most importantly their voices. Their development in the NICU should mimic as closely as possible the uterine environment. As new parents of NICU babies, it is often hard to understand this concept, and that is when the NICU nurse is your best resource for education about your new baby. Continue reading
by, Rosemary C. White-Traut, PhD, RN, FAAN
Having your new baby spend time in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) can be extremely stressful for both you and your baby. The bright lights, the random nature of nonhuman sounds such as beeps or monitors, and medical procedures can all create an uneasy or stressful environment.
This is concerning because stress can influence your baby’s brain development and how parents interact with their babies. However, there are ways to help reduce the long-term effect of these stressors.
There are several things you can do as parents to help reduce NICU environmental stressors. Ask your nurse for help with these suggestions. Continue reading
by, Sharon C. Hitchcock
Did you know most infant sleep-related deaths are considered preventable? This is good news worth sharing! Because most babies are born in a hospital or birthing center, nurses are uniquely positioned to interact with virtually every new parent. This means nurses play a critical role in helping prevent these deaths. We know that parents trust us (we are the most trusted profession!), watch us, and listen to us. We have a responsibility to make sure we give parents safe sleep recommendations along with the evidence behind them. We have a responsibility to problem-solve with parents about accomplishing safe sleep situations, all while simultaneously respecting their right to decide what is best for their family. The bad news is too many babies are still dying. October is SIDS Awareness month and a perfect time for nurses to spread the good news and advocate for our smallest patients! Continue reading