Week 10: Three’s a Crowd
Zoey B -
The excitement continues in the C.C.N.!! Hi everyone, I’m excited to share my week with you all! I was able to go back to my internship at the hospital this week. There were three babies in the C.N.N. this week that were all full-term. They were all delivered via c-sections as well. One was a 48 hour old boy, another was a few hour old boy, and the last was a five day old girl.
The 48 hour old boy had an I.V. in for preventative antibiotics, had high flow O2 and had swelling in his hand from an infiltrated IV. The newborn baby that was admitted a few hours before I arrived had a C.P.A.P. to help him breathe. This was interesting because I was able to see the mask they put over his nose and watch the nurses adjust the machine from time to time to fit his needs. He also had an oral gastric tube so they could release air that was building up in his stomach from the C.P.A.P. and to feed him eventually. I was able to watch them insert the O.G. tube and the nurse let me listen to the sound it makes through a stethoscope when it is in the stomach, which is one way they know they have placed the tube in the correct place. They also got an x-ray to make sure the tube was in the correct place and I was able to see this as well. He ended up being taken off of C.P.A.P. and put on high flow O2 before I left and the O.G. tube was removed.
The five day old girl was admitted because she had low blood sugar, and while I was there she needed routine blood sugar tests, which they take by pricking the heel of her foot and putting it on a Glucometer. This process is similar to how diabetics check their blood sugar levels. She was also in the C.C.N. because she was jaundice. She was wrapped in the photo-therapy blankets that I have seen before and was getting her bilirubin levels checked as well. Because she needed routine heel pricks, her foot was bruised and in some pain. This is one area I think technology could improve upon, if there was a way to test blood sugar levels without repeatedly pricking the babies.
As for the rest of my week, I have been working on my NY Times article that goes into depth on the interviews I had. I also have been working on my presentation and my research paper. Next week will be my last day in the C.C.N. and will be more of working on my final products! See you all next week!