PICU baby

[Dotty08]

Hi everyone
Has anyone had a baby on picu?
My daughter has had heart surgery and is currently in picu. The nurses don’t seem to understand that babies cry and I’m finding it so upsetting and stressful. They want to give her chloral every time she cries and I just don’t agree with it.
A little about her - shes a breastfed baby, very clingy, she gets rocked to sleep at home and goes between 7-8pm then I dream feed her expressed breast milk at 11pm and she sleeps until 2am has a feed and straight back to sleep.
In nicu she’s covered in wires and tubes, she’s got a cpap mask on her face blowing oxygen at her 24/7.
When she goes to sleep at 7pm they change shifts, so then the new nurse comes on and by 8pm she’s doing her checks for the evening. Waking her up changing her nappy that doesn’t need to be changed, messing with her mask, wiping her eyes and mouth. I completely understand it’s part of the care but it’s waking her up. She’s unsettled. I hold her get her calm but then it requires two nurses (their rules) to put her back in so she’s just waking up again. Then they’re drugging her and I don’t agree. This has been going on for 10 days now. I keep trying to tell the nurses her routine but they don’t care, they just care about ticking boxes on their sheet.
I keep thinking surely they get other babies who want their mums and their home and routine. To be fair though all the other babies are full ventilation and are therefore heavily sedated.
I think they now have me down as an over anxious parent but I just want my baby to be settled without being drugged.

Completely understand your worries/frustrations, have you spoken to the lead Nursing manager (whatever they’re called) to express how your finding things. They are, of course, highly trained team. But I think you need reassurance from someone higher on the team that everything that is done is for the good of your baby

I would speak to a maybe the nurse in charge who could perhaps talk through why they do certain things.

I had a baby on NICU at birth and unfortunately an extent routines have to fit with the hospital and processes such as 2 to put a baby in the cot will probably be due to previous problems when only one nurse puts the baby in. It doesn't make it easier as mum though. Would they let you put a nursing square next to her to she still has your smell as she falls asleep or could you please your hands around her somehow so she still has the presence of you? Maybe ask and see what they can do?

Sending you thoughts as being a NICU mum is tough.

Just go with the treatment in hospital. It's not harming her, and it's unreasonable to expect to do what you do at home following a heart operation. They do know what's best at this particular time. The important thing is she recovers without stressing herself crying. Plenty of time at home. Just cuddle her as often as you can, stroke and touch her and talk to her.

Bless you OP. My DD had heart surgery at 8 months. Worst time of my life.

As gently as possible following a bedtime isn't possible in hospital. Your daughter will be uncomfortable and in a lot of pain so those drugs are vital for her at the moment.

Definitely talk to the nurses but they need to follow procedures to ensure your daughter is as safe as possible.

Look after yourself OP and focus on getting through the next few days and weeks