Has your child had a canula in hospital?

[nappyaddict]

If so did the doctor insert it or did the nurse do it?

dd1 has had them twice for grommet operations

nurses did them

but on the last time there were nurses ad doctors all helping and distracting her cause they couldn't manage it in one of her hands and she is needle phobic so it was a team effort completely

DD had one at birth, nurse did it in SCBU

and I must say that watching your child 'go under' with an aneasthetic has to be very high up on the most distressing things I;ve ever done

A nurse can insert a canula if they have been trained to do so.

I think it is more common for adult nurses than child nurses though. Probably because childrens veins are so much smaller so they can be very difficult to insert especially on babies.

Judging from this thread it's an experience that stays pretty vivid in parents minds... hopefully the kids won't remember that much of it

trinity aggree with that for sure,was only talking about it yesterday.
Nurses with special training can do it.
DD had one 2 wks ago at only 6 days old
A Dr tried to site it a few times dd very distressed and ill so i asked her to stop and give her a break. An hr later a more senior Dr came and did it really quickly {angry}

Oricella. Ds was only 8 weeks old when he was really ill so I am hoping he remembers none of that. Hopefully by the time he is old enough to properly remember things he won't be having regular hospital trips!

yes verity,this is very common.I remember it happened with ds when he was ill too.I am still bruised all over and have a couple of hard lumps on my hands from the attempts made to put one in for my section 3 wks ago.I was crying in the end,it was abad start to my birth experience and dh was really upset too.Some people are better than others at doing them and sometimes Drs have been working for days at a tine with little sleep i cant imagine their eyesight is brilliant by then.At least we are adults and can stick up forourselves,with a child i would always draw he line at 3 attempes and ask for a break or a different Dr,

dd had them at 5 months. pead dr did first one and it took forever. another dr then came along to have a go but couldnt in the end a nurse did it. second time she had one a nurse did it no probs

My twins have had dozens each, inserted into various places - arms, hands, feet, head etc. Only once did I ever see a highly trained nurse do it, or should I say she attempted to do it. She was rough, tried multiple times and still had to get a doctor in the end.

I appreciate that it was difficult for her to do, the baby was tiny, about three pounds by that time, and had already had lots and lots of canulas in the weeks since he was born, but seeing her make a dogs ear of it ranks in the top ten of my traumatic experiences in NICU.

In future I'd always prefer a dr.

Dr did canula into DD2's head when we was two weeks old.

Have also has another one done in hand aged 2 and 4 also done by a Dr/Registrar.

Nurses were assisting but not actually doing it.

Dr did my DS when he was hospitalised at 2 weeks old. When it came out after a week the nurse tried (actually 3 nurses tired), had him screaming so another dr had to come and do it.

I had mixed experiences too, nurses who wouldn't give up even when dd was distressed and consultants who said we try a maximum of twice so as not to distress her. It was horrible, so was the feeding tube, I had to leave when they put that in.

DD has sadly had to have many since birth :( and as far as I recall they have mostly been done by Dr's - not always successfully though. When she needed 2 to be transferred between hospitals at 10 days old there was a whole team of Dr's desperately trying to get the lines in which was very distressing for all of us.

Last time she needed one they couldn't do it and had to stop trying - apparently she is at the age (1) where it is really difficult to do because of her chubbiness!

She has never minded the canular being put in what she objects to is being restrained to have it done!

It's always been the doctor for a canula with my 11 month old but nurse for NG tube.

It is horrible, sadly I'm getting used to it now as one or other happens most weeks.....

But as soon as it's done DS is fine and happy instantly so the distress for him is only short.

As an adult nurse (cardiac) I routinely site cannulae. Unwritten rule of 2 attempts and then get someone else. IME experienced nurses are often more skilled and less anxious about siting cannulae than junior doctors. As a nurse it's about knowing your limitations. I have had nurses site cannulae in me and dc.