Hi everyone! Happy Friday and I hope everyone had a great week!
Since my last post, a few things have changed in relation to my Senior Project. Unfortunately, I no longer will be traveling to India. :(
I know, I’m sad about it too, but you know what people sometimes say, when one door closes, another opens! And that’s exactly what happened! Along with shadowing at the NICU facility, I will also be working with Dr. Vegunta of Banner Health Pediatric Surgery at Cardon Children’s Medical Center. I’m very grateful for Dr. Vegunta for this opportunity and for allocating his time to guide me. I got to meet with him this past Monday, and hopefully I will be able to start as an observer soon!
Along with that, this week was also my first week within the NICU! I got to shadow a PCA, a patient care assistant, so that I could get a proper tour and orientation of the entire NICU. As he was a veteran to this NICU facility, I shadowed him for the majority of the time. For all of you soccer/football fans, he's a huge Liverpool FC fan and even had a tattoo on his arm with the team logo!
He gave me a detailed breakdown of the entire NICU and showed me all the jobs that a NICU PCA does. Along with taking and mixing specific formula orders for infants within and outside of the NICU and transporting materials requested by nurses, PCA’s also assist nurses and families with patient discharges and by caring for the babies while the family is absent.
I also showed another PCA who was feeding a baby as she told me all about the sad misfortune that many babies suffer through because of drugs. Informally called “drug babies”, these infants are those that could be fully or almost completely healthy but are not because their mother took drugs while pregnant. Because of this, some of these babies either become addicted to the drug and suffer withdrawals after being born. Depending on the drug the mother took and the amount they took, these infants must be given regularly morphine to control their withdrawals until they slowly lose the need for it. As these babies are newborns and are very delicate, they cannot be given morphine through an IV and are instead must be fed morphine with a syringe. Here’s a picture I found online of baby receiving morphine, so that you can have a better idea of what I mean.
Hearing and seeing this broke my heart, as these little babies would have completely fine and with their families at home had their mother not taken drugs while pregnant.
Anyways, thank you for reading about my experiences during the first week!
Anyways, thank you for reading about my experiences during the first week!
Hey Urmi! That's just too bad that you don't get to go to India. I bet you were really looking forward to that. Do you have any plans going forward as to what you want to focus on specifically or is it just going to be more shadowing and absorbing information?
ReplyDeleteHi Adam! Along with shadowing and visual learning, I'm planning on interviewing the providers with a survey to get their insight on family centered care.
DeleteHi Urmi! I'm so sorry that your original plan didn't work out and you won't get to go to India. But I'm glad your first week turned out so well and you learned a lot about the NICU! Once drug babies are weaned off the morphine, are they affected in any way when they grow up?
ReplyDeleteHey Nichole! When these infants leave the NICU, they are said to be totally independent of the need of morphine or the drug that their mother took while pregnant. However, if they do indulge in drugs when older, it is easier for them to become addicted and harder to get rid of the addiction.
DeleteHi Urmi! Although you won't be able to go to India, I'm excited to see what you can learn from pediatric surgeon Dr. Vegunta about the NICU and Family Centered Care! In regards to your first week, when PCAs mix the baby formulas, did you notice significant differences in the ingredients used for healthy babies versus premature or drug babies? Also, what other consequences can occur in drug babies, and can the majority of these consequences, other than morphine addiction, be solved before further development in the baby? Finally, is family-centered care still implemented with beneficial results in the treatment of drug babies? I can't wait to see how your project progresses at Cardon Children's Medical Center!
ReplyDeleteHey Esha! For the formula, I didn't see the differences with any babies that were healthy as the NICU cares for infants who are either premature or unwell. But for ones who are there, each baby has their own unique formula made for they need to grow. As for drug babies, the consequences are subjective, meaning it really depends on the mother while she was pregnant. The providers and caretakers of the infant strive to get rid of any irregularities or possible issues while the baby is in the NICU so majority are either eradicated or dealt with to a point that it wouldn't create harm or a problem to the infant's health in the future.
DeleteHi Urmi!
ReplyDeleteIt’s unfortunate that you won’t be able to visit India anymore, but I’m sure that your experience will be just as fascinating as you work with Dr.Vegunta at Banner Health! You already seem to be off to a great start in your research! It’s very unfortunate that many newborns suffer from drug addictions, especially at such a young age. I was wondering if drug addiction in newborns similar to that in teenagers and adults? If so, how are they similar? In addition, with morphine being a highly addictive drug, is there the possibility that these newborns may become addicted to the morphine? Also, I was wondering if this addiction could negatively affect the development of the child or possibly come back in the future. Those we all the question I had for this week. I can't wait to read your next blog about your experience with Dr. Vegunta! I wish you all the best in your next week of research!
Bhumika K.
Hey Bhumika! Drug addiction isn't that similar as that of teenagers and adults as they can have control of it while these infants are born with a possible internal addiction. The only similarity that I noticed was the fact that both age groups experience withdrawals when they do not receive that drug for a long period of time. And yes, there is definitely a possibility that these newborns can become reliant on morphine to remain stable, but that is why the amount of morphine given is calculated for a specific situation so that the providers eventually can slowly lessen the amount given, which would hopefully remove the infant's need for it. This addiction could definitely come back in the future as it would make it easier for the person to become addicted in the future should they choose to indulge in that specific drug(s) while older.
DeleteHi Urmi! Although your plans have changed for the Senior Project, do you think that they turned out for the better? Was your original plan to work with Dr. Vegunta?
ReplyDeleteHey Liam! It wasn't my original plan, but I'm glad that it worked out the way it did! It has definitely turned out for the better, as I am getting the chance to observe two age groups within pediatric care. Not only is this a new experience and amazing opportunity for me, but it is also very aligned with what my senior project is centered on.
DeleteHi Urmi! I am sorry about your trip to India but your first week seemed like it went well. Regarding the babies addicted to drugs, what are the specific consequences on the baby cognitively and physically? Are the families more or less involved when the babies are addicted to the drugs and is there an effect when the families are involved? I had never heard of a PCA but found it very interesting what they do. Hope the following weeks are good and I can't wait to follow up!
ReplyDeleteMadeline
Hey Madeline! Specific consequences cognitively and physically varies depending on the patient, as every infant is in a different situation. Some families are involved and some aren't, but when are families are involved in the baby's care, the PCAs told me that babies tend to be more calm and relaxed.
DeleteUrmi, this whole post was so sad. I'm sorry to hear that you won't be going to India. Also hearing about the 'drug babies' was really upsetting. At least it seems like you're getting a lot of exposure to NICU. Aside from treating infants, are you going to get exposure to the interaction with families? because that would be really interesting.
ReplyDeleteHi Luke! Sorry about the post, I didn't mean to make it sound so sad! Next week's post will be a lot happier! And yes, I am interacting with families as along with shadowing in the NICU. I volunteer at the front desk outside the NICU where I mainly interact with families only. However, I will not be speaking about my experiences with the families as it is necessary to respect their privacy.
DeleteHi Urmi! I feel bad that you didnt get to go to India, but i am happy that even though you didnt go, you still got to educate the public on the use of drugs, and its effects on the mothers and infants. Hearing what drugs can do to newborn babies is so depressing.I am wondering why you didnt get the chance to go to India? Also, is there anyway to prevent the doctors from giving the babies morphine, or is that the only way for the babies to survive in the future?
ReplyDeletePooja
Hey Pooja! There were a couple reasons as to why I couldn't go, but it's alright as I got another amazing opportunity to be an observer at the pediatric surgery clinic! Doctors definitely don't like to or have to give the infants morphine, it is just one of the ways that infants can remain stable while the addiction is still present in their bloodstream. It is not the only way, but again, everything is subjective as every child is in a different situation.
DeleteThis sounds great. Your findings sound great and your evidence greatly emphasizes how these children are dependent on these medicines because their parents used them in the past. Perhaps you can include statistics in your research in future. Keep up the good work!
ReplyDeleteHey there! Thanks for the comment, but I was just wondering who you are? It says your name is Unknown! I might be able to find statistics online from previous research studies, but I won't be able to find statistics from this location as it would violate the families' privacy. I will definitely see what I can find from past studies to give more insight in the next post!
DeleteHey Urmi! I am so sorry you haven't made it to India. However, I am so fascinated with your knowledge you have shared about drug use and its negative consequences on families. I am so sad to hear about how this affects new babies. Could these consequences be eliminated or minimized? If so, how? Keep up the good work!
ReplyDeleteHey Siena! These consequences can definitely be minimized as drug awareness is a huge topic in our modern society. Spreading knowledge about this issue that isn't as well known is one of the many ways that this issue can be minimized. Hopefully in the future this won't be a major issue for certain infants!
DeleteI am so excited to see the new direction your project takes. Since you have begun shadowing in the NICU, have you had an opportunity to see Family Centered Care in action?
ReplyDeleteHey Ms. Conner! I have seen it in action! This week itself I got to shadow bedside nurses where I witnessed nurses and families interacting with the baby equally. I'll write more about it in this week's post!
DeleteHi Urmi, I am sorry for hearing you didn't get to travel to India. I am so engaged and interested about the drug use on babies and how it affects families. I would love to hear more about this and is there a way to replace the morphine.
ReplyDeleteHey Ritika! Every situation in which an infant is suffering through a drug issue is subjective depending on the age of the baby, how frequent the mother indulged in drugs while pregnant, and multiple other factors. Because of this, morphine is just one of the ways that providers try to rid the addiction from the infant. There are other ways, but it all depends on the situation as it is very subjective.
Delete