September 2019
Brandy
Mitchum
,
RN, BSN
Mother Infant Unit
Bon Secours St. Francis Medical Center
Midlothian
,
VA
United States
Brandy and I passed a couplet from days to nights between each other for a couple of days. On the day of discharge, it was clear that they were not quite ready to go home. The baby was small to start out and had lost greater than 10% of its body weight. It also had high bilirubin and was having difficulty feeding, among other concerning issues. The physician decided to discharge the couplet despite our concerns. Brandy went above and beyond to initiate nurse-driven protocols and took extra time and care to teach the family to care for their infant. She could have discharged the baby first thing in the morning but instead did everything in her power to hold the couplet until early evening when the baby was feeding better and had had more time under the bili lights. She genuinely cared for ensuring the best possible outcome for this family!