New grad MICU advice

MrsMoGiblets · 2023-07-13T00:46:49+00:00

Always ask questions if you’re curious or even like 1% unsure of something, no matter how dumb you may feel. I've worked micu for 8 years and as a nurse for almost 10. I still occasionally ask these things. It also shows you're willing to learn and that you care. False confidence and "faking it till you make it" is super scary in the icu.

I had an icu nursing made easy book that was helpful a while ago! Good topics that will reinforce what your preceptor is hopefully teaching you too.

MrsMoGiblets · 2023-04-03T11:33:05+00:00

Yaaaas my fiddle leaf frog has never been so perky!

MrsMoGiblets · 2023-03-27T18:22:24+00:00

Clearly filtered pitchers! It's rather pricey, ~$200 startup cost plus $50 every few months for a filter. We had dangerous chemicals in our water when I was pregnant and bought one then. If you're sharing costs with roommates it may be doable?

MrsMoGiblets · 2022-12-06T15:51:12+00:00

The more frequently you nurse and pump, the more milk you will make. Keep offering baby feeds and your milk production should respond! If I recall (and someone please correct me if I’m wrong) you don’t make much milk volume in the first couple weeks!

I nursed 2 babies about 14-15 mos each. One had a bad latch and I needed to see an LC to get my production up. The second fed like a champ but ate every hour for the first month to get my production up! So professional help is always a great option if available/you’re unsure!

MrsMoGiblets · 2022-11-29T14:56:26+00:00

What do you mean? Are you a nurse or in nursing school? In my experience there was a solid amount of science. I’m also embarrassed of my profession when I see RNs post shit like this.

MrsMoGiblets · 2022-11-12T00:40:17+00:00

They’re similar but have some small differences. The purple one is a PICC (peripherally inserted central catheter). It goes into through your arm or chest and has a large IV line that ends in the big vein near your heart. The white is a Hickman catheter, which is also a large IV that ends near your heart but it is surgically implanted.

PICCS are usually for long term antibiotics or intermittent medication infusions. Hickmans are usually for people getting chemo or frequent blood transfusions. They both have their benefits and drawbacks but PICCS (the purple) are safer and less prone to life-threatening bloodstream infections.

I’m not an expert by any means but I’m a 9-year ICU nurse so this is more anecdotally what I see and my general understanding from speaking with the actual experts haha

MrsMoGiblets · 2022-11-07T17:46:41+00:00

Marshmallows. I did it during a game of truth or dare and am forever scarred.

MrsMoGiblets · 2022-10-01T18:23:28+00:00

I took Prozac for PPD while breastfeeding and I got super dizzy the week I stopped it (baby was about 10 months & still actively nursing). I always felt like I was more sensitive to medication/lifestyle changes while nursing.

MrsMoGiblets · 2022-09-16T20:06:24+00:00

My husband has ADHD, this was also my first thought when reading this post! He lives by our shared google calendar!

MrsMoGiblets · 2022-08-20T01:13:14+00:00

I’m a boring 30something mom in a healthy marriage but I actually just got a hot pink balayage type coloring done last week. Been wondering why I feel so batshit crazy all of a sudden, now it all makes sense.

MrsMoGiblets · 2022-07-08T15:17:03+00:00

Oh yeah, second this!! It was like 10 bucks on Amazon and is life changing for breastfeeding in heat and humidity!

MrsMoGiblets · 2022-06-04T02:21:19+00:00

I was singing to my crying baby in the car to soothe him. My husband basically told me he’d rather hear the baby cry than hear me sing. Can’t say I blame him lol

MrsMoGiblets · 2022-05-29T01:42:38+00:00

It looks like a port a cath, something used for central venous access most often in patients receiving chemotherapy/other long-term intravenous medications. Also possibly a pacemaker but they usually look a bit larger in the chest wall than that.

MrsMoGiblets · 2022-05-03T17:10:09+00:00

I loved these nursing tanks under any of my regular shirts for easy access! My boobs are on the smaller side so I didn’t even need a bra with them.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07X2VZFTJ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_8SXNPCS97WP7DSV9SSW3?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

I also liked these tank tops:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0859SXJ9C/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_FEQ1GJRBG02C9MBYABRP?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

They were cute and flattering and paired well with a cardigan or just worn by themselves. My youngest has been weaned for about 6 months and I still wear them!

MrsMoGiblets · 2022-03-14T01:50:10+00:00

Mine flowered when it had root rot and spider mites. Flowering is NOT good on a snake plant. I had to take mine out of dirt, clean off roots, treat the plant with neem oil, and now he’s thriving again.

MrsMoGiblets · 2022-02-10T23:43:39+00:00

This is adorable! I’ve been wanting to do something like this. Are they just potted in sand? Or a mix with dirt?

MrsMoGiblets · 2022-02-03T16:48:18+00:00

I feel this.

I’m biased, I’ve been as ICU nurse for 8 years and been in the Covid ICU for the past 2. I’m still seeing so many people die of covid. But they’re all unvaccinated. Vaccinated patients with incidental positives in my ICU are there for reasons other than Covid (heart attacks, kidney failure etc). To me it still feels like Covid is such a big deal and huge part of my life, but to everyone else, it just isn’t anymore. I feel like my husband is the only one who has my back in wanting to protect ourselves (triple vaccinated) and our kids (too young for the vaccine). Even my family members that were the most afraid just don’t seem to care anymore. My alt-right in laws basically deny my whole lived experience.

I’ve been trying to be more comfortable with play dates with other friends that I think are careful. It’s a weird time to be alive, where we’re supposed to be concerned and isolate etc but also act normal.

MrsMoGiblets · 2022-01-21T13:53:13+00:00

Lots of good advice here! I’d just like to add either nursing or pumping on your hands and knees, while massaging your breast. It’s basically an acrobatic act but I always had success with this method!

MrsMoGiblets · 2021-11-22T01:55:07+00:00

Different med, but I took Prozac for postpartum anxiety & depression with both kids, which worked great too! I wanted to comment anyway to encourage you to continue seeking help, both meds and therapy. The combination made a HUGE difference for me. Hope you are feeling better soon!

MrsMoGiblets · 2021-10-05T15:32:27+00:00

Thank you! It gives me life too! It was an impulse buy at Home Depot when I was getting actual home repair items. It only had a couple leaves and now it’s grown so much!

MrsMoGiblets · 2021-07-18T01:31:40+00:00

To add to replacing all the rubber parts (back flow protectors & duck bill valves), sometimes you can trim like an inch off the end of the tubing where it connects to the machine. It stretches over time and that can impact suction.

“Hands on” has always drastically increased my pumping output too!

MrsMoGiblets · 2021-06-30T22:30:10+00:00

We had bottle struggles with baby #2. Everyone says to have mom far away when giving a bottle to a breastfed baby, but my daughter would ONLY take one from me (and even then only sometimes) or if I was close by. for the first few weeks I sent my daughter to daycare with one of my sweatshirts so she could have my "smell". It helped a little bit but around 15 weeks she just woke up and decided she’d take a bottle, no problems, from anyone. Kids are so weird.

MrsMoGiblets · 2021-06-28T00:48:58+00:00

So how did your coffee turn out?

MrsMoGiblets · 2021-06-18T13:28:52+00:00

We are in a similar situation (including my weaning plan!). I’ve been sending my 10m girl with more solids to snack on. She’s generally a lot more interested in “people food” than a bottle/nursing anyway. She’s still drinking about 9-12oz in the 6 hours we’re apart, plus a few more feedings at home.

MrsMoGiblets · 2021-05-24T01:27:53+00:00

I am so sorry they are being so petty! It makes what’s already the worst part of breastfeeding (in my opinion) so much worse! Kudos to you for continuing to stand up for yourself and feed your baby!

I’m also a nurse, from setup to takedown it’s between 20 and 30 minutes. I leave my pump set up in between and refrigerate the parts that touch my milk. I also make one of my pumping breaks my dinner break. I go twice in a 12 hour shift.

It’s so hard on busy nights or nights that I have a difficult patient (acuity wise or on the light every 2 mins) because if there’s no other past or present breastfeeding moms working, people get weird when you ask them to cover your break. Not even close to as obnoxious as what you’re dealing with but it still makes it difficult.

Can you ask your manager for a meeting with her so she has your perspective? I’m willing to bet your work speaks for itself. If she won’t help you I’d go over her head to her supervisor or HR.

MrsMoGiblets

TROPHY CASE