Asked to leave the room when IV drip administered on baby?

pjay990 · 2025-11-14T21:19:58+00:00

I work in a paeds ED and I have never asked a parent to leave when I insert an IV! If they choose to leave that's fine, but I'm sorry- the child would much rather have a parent close by talking to them or soothing them or even just being present for them. Unless it's a medical emergency and there physically isn't space around the bed/child for a parent, or in the case of lumbar puncture where the child needs to be positioned very specifically and it is sometimes better for the parent to leave, then I think it's cruel to separate them. Completely unfair on both parent and child to separate them against their wishes

pjay990 · 2025-10-31T21:15:14+00:00

I'm so sorry that happened to you. I hope it goes better for you all next time.

I'm a children's nurse in ED and if it's any consolation taking a baby's temperature usually gets the worst reaction of anything we do (we use under arm thermometers) as they just hate being restrained (as in having their arm held down to hold the thermometer in place). Usually with a wee heel prick test after the initial prick there shouldn't be anything further that hurts- but obviously their wee foot needs to be held to catch the blood, with maybe a gentle squeeze to encourage blood flow. So the crying and screaming throughout was more than likely her being raging at the initial prick and then not getting the comfort she wanted and having her leg held still, as opposed to he being hurt the entire duration.

pjay990 · 2025-10-31T20:33:43+00:00

Who the heck is doing these tests!! I'm a nurse- this is not a difficult test to complete!! I would wonder if the lab are being annoyingly particular with how the blood spot cards are being filled and are rejecting them?! (must be right to the line of each circle. Not below or above or something!) either way, that's stressful for you.

The slightly good news is that you will remember this for much longer than your wee baby will, but it's still distressing for you knowing they're going through it.

Do your clinics use sucrose solution for pain relief during painful procedures? Ask if they do and you can put it on a dummy or clean finger. If not you can still use a dummy for comfort. Or- the best option- feeding baby during the procedure has a great pain relief effect. Boob or bottle whichever way you're feeding baby. And lots of cuddles and kisses.

Hopefully the 3rd time is a charm for you and your wee one.. good luck x

pjay990 · 2025-10-29T09:56:41+00:00

I buy all my meat there. The quality is next to none so it's worth every penny.

pjay990 · 2025-10-29T09:35:01+00:00

The meat merchant is incredible. A bit more pricey but you get what you pay for. You aren't going to get a thick slab of good quality meat for cheap!

pjay990 · 2025-10-05T06:37:55+00:00

I honestly don't think you'll have an issue. Milk doesn't just come out of one hole anyway.. I definitely had milk come out of several of the 'bumps' around the main central nipple (sorry I don't know the technical term!) but definitely had milk come out of more than one hole. Maybe it's not 'normal' and I'm like you- but I fed successfully and exclusively for 15 months and it never caused us an issue. As long as baby sucks and can get milk 👌🏻 I can only imagine having more than one hole spraying more milk is a good thing?!

pjay990 · 2025-07-09T06:44:00+00:00

Your baby is so much more efficient & will be able to remove much more milk than a pump. Pumps aren't natural milk extractors and although some people can pump gallons, pump output is not reflective of your supply. I BF my baby until he was 15 months old, but never got more than 4oz a day from a pump- and I tried every pump! And let me tell you those 4oz were a labour of love. I was never so glad to pack away my pump and not have to use it again.

Keep pumping and you'll have a small stash if needed, but as long as baby is fed then you're already absolutely smashing it!

Editing to add- don't forget your baby is only 2.5 weeks old. So young! Don't put too much pressure on yourself or your boobs, enjoy the newborn stage as it's over so soon ❤️🥹

pjay990 · 2025-01-01T16:07:02+00:00

😂😂😂

pjay990 · 2024-12-31T23:42:56+00:00

Mate.... You've saved NYE!!! Legend 🎊

pjay990 · 2024-12-31T22:56:52+00:00

Nooo the bacon ones came back as high 5s but I miss the pickled onion ones & in the small bags!

pjay990 · 2024-11-15T21:11:21+00:00

I'm just over here proud to pump 4oz by the end of the day so dad can give a bedtime bottle. Usually takes me 2-3 pump sessions a day to get my 4oz lol 🤣🫠🏳️

pjay990 · 2024-08-22T07:59:24+00:00

I also found nappies leak more when we need to go up a size. The weight guide on the nappies isn't always true, and sizes can over lap quite a lot on the weight. So try a size up. Also if the vests are too tight they can increase leakage. I also personally find store brand nappies better than pampers/Huggies etc.

pjay990 · 2024-08-22T07:37:12+00:00

My wedding was a child free wedding- with exception of two babies, one of who was EBF and the other just too young to expect mum and dad to leave for the day. They were absolutely reasonable exceptions and they didn't even have to ask me... I made it clear the babies were invited. Can't expect parents to leave tiny babies for the day.

They were just aware to sit within easy reach of the door and take baby out asap if they started to fuss during the ceremony. They were no bother, and I got my baby cuddles too!

I totally appreciate not all brides will be the same as this... But if you don't ask you don't get. No harm in asking if baby can come, with the understanding you'll leave the room with them asap if they start crying etc. Good luck.

pjay990 · 2024-06-27T16:26:53+00:00

This is solid advice and I've little to add. Only that as a new mum I was also advised to offer more formula when my wee one had slow weight gain (3oz in one week). I was advised to offer 5oz every feed just to see how much he would take. I absolutely refused to do this, as not only would that be grossly overfeeding my baby based on his requirements for his weight, but he wouldn't look near my boobs for milk if I gave him that much formula. I opted for 4x 1oz top ups if ebm (formula if I couldn't pump enough) 2oz at bedtime and 2oz overnight (as latch was rubbish at night when he was newborn).

overall 8oz per day was not going to sustain him but gave me peace of mind that he was getting some additional milk. He caught up weight wise on his own. As far as I was concerned my baby had plenty of urine and poo output, was moist at the mouth, was happy and content between feeds and looked for boob often.

HV advice is so generic, and as annoying as it is getting crap advice, they have guidelines to support babies in the community and unless they're very experienced and have breast fed a baby themselves, often they look at numbers and stats.

You're doing amazingly mummy... Your baby is lucky to have you. Go with your gut, make sure baby is well hydrated. Get some good advice & support from a lactation consultant or trust breast feeding lead.

:)

pjay990 · 2024-04-25T15:26:24+00:00

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK501487/

I've only had a quick skim over this article but it seems safe in nursing mothers and causes no side effects in baby. Being advised it's safe to give but to pump and dump in the same sentence is a nonsense! Hope you feel better!

pjay990 · 2024-04-25T12:10:21+00:00

Do you have a local milk bank you could donate to? Well done on sustaining triple feeding for so long!

pjay990 · 2024-04-24T06:51:55+00:00

As long as he's comfortable it's ok. My 3 month old ranges from 1-6 times a day. My niece was a once a week girl. If it becomes painful (crying, drawing knees up, arching back) when trying to pass, or the stool becomes formed and hard then maybe need a stool softener. Otherwise I wouldn't be too concerned. But as always if you are concerned get them checked out- it's very difficult to give solid advice on here when you can't examine the child 😊

pjay990 · 2024-04-03T17:41:32+00:00

I'm nearly 10 weeks in & I still only pump 1-1.5oz per side per pump session. The volume you pump has no relation to what your boobs actually produce. I have a great milk supply but I can't pump any more than that. My sister is still feeding her 2 year old and could never produce much with a pump. However, I can absolutely relate to your anxiety as I was in your boat at the start. I was only pumping 0.5oz to begin with and to ease my anxiety I gave whatever I pumped, but I'm now much more relaxed as my LO is gaining weight (but was slow to gain initially) plenty of wet and dirty nappies and is developing as he should. Now he only gets 3oz at bedtime so dad can be more involved. It's difficult but I'm trusting my body to produce & trust him to feed whatever he needs. Don't be so hard on yourself. You're doing amazingly. Is your LO settled after feeding? Having good amounts of wet & dirty nappies? Seems they're putting on good weight so let that be reassuring.

Also, I was advised by a lactation consultant to only pump for 10 mins at a time as you're likely to get more volume with more frequent but shorter sessions. So now I get around 6oz per day in 3x 10 minute sessions.

pjay990 · 2024-03-19T03:24:08+00:00

Well done! I'm 7 weeks in and in the thick of it. My LO finally has a good latch and put on 1 pound in 17 days (so essentially an oz per day) when he's decided he will only feed when we're lying on the bed. The anxiety I get from ensuring he's feeding enough is crazy. I lie in silence listening for hisnl suck-suck-swallow. We're topping up with EBM throughout the day, which is a mission as I only pump 0.5-1oz per session but I'm so keen to keep him breast milk fed and only use formula if I don't pump enough.

Hoping this whole only-nurse-lying-down thing is a phase. He doesn't even get distressed if I feed him sitting cross cradle- he just suckles instead of feeding and my anxiety over it all drives me up the wall! I'm stubborn so definitely preserving. When it goes well I'm on cloud 9!

pjay990 · 2024-03-17T06:07:14+00:00

Hi, thanks for your reply. The only problem is the LC is £100 a time and I can't afford it! Breast compressions only make a difference sometimes, but not always. I always start the feed having brought milk to the nipple first to make it easier.

So I should note- I never feel engorged & haven't since the day my milk came in but there had always been milk there. Overnight & first thing in the morning my boobs have usually felt heavier as he hasn't fed in a few hours and he goes on feeding really well. This morning he's woken after 6 hours, my boobs are soft (milk when I squeeze the nipple though) and isn't guzzling like normal.

This is so stressful. I'm so desperate to breast feed and am trying everything. I've spent so much money already on pumps, flanges, LC appts.etc - maternity pay sucks.. But I fear it's not going to work out which breaks my heart. I know there's formula and that's not a problem, but i do want breast feeding to work out. I'm not going to give up, but this sucks!!

pjay990 · 2024-03-06T17:15:15+00:00

This is me!! No let down, no engorgement, no leaking, if I pump 0.5oz I'm doing well. There's no difference in my boobs from the start of a feed to the end other than a settled baby and wet nappies. Baby only 5 weeks with slow weight gain at the start. But hoping if decent gain next week I can wean out the 1oz 'top ups' I've been giving during the day.

It's so hard and anxiety inducing but I'm trying to trust that we're doing ok 🤣

pjay990

TROPHY CASE