I wish I was making this up. But I’m just not.
Scene 1
One night while on a business trip I was ‘in charge’ of keeping track of the baby doll we use for demonstration during our presentations.
She had a nice little swaddle cloth.
So as I was unpacking, this is how I arranged ‘her’ on the bed.
Yep. Hands to mouth. Swaddled. Comfortable, don’t ya think?
Reminder: No one was checking me off for a competency. No one was with me in my room.
You might be a NICU Professional if you cannot stand to leave a doll in a bad resting posture.
Scene 2
Weeks later, another baby doll I used for positioning lectures was sitting on my desk. I’m not sure why, but that’s not the point.
I looked up and saw this:
So……
Scene 3
You knew this was coming, right?!
You might be a neonatal therapist if you cannot concentrate on your work until this NOT-REAL-HUMAN is in alignment.
No matter your profession, you might be a NICU professional if you’re ultra-particular about all things. In a good way. From the perfect tension on the ETT to the best outfit for the baby in honor of grandma’s first visit, to the most comfortable and aligned position for sleep.
When you work in a place where things are measured and calculated in grams, mls, kcals, and cms – there’s just not much room for error. We’re raised in the NICU to be particular for good reason.
(You might also be a NICU Professional if there’s no way you’ll use a blanket that clashes with all other bed linens. It’s just how we’re wired.)
There is highly intensive care going on in our units.
AND we can’t help but care for the babies like we’d want someone to care for our own babies. INTENSIVE care and intensive CARE. You might be a NICU Professional if your passion shows up in many forms.
Apparently.
P.S. There’s a whole other story about what airport security does when one of these lifelike dolls shows up on their screen as your luggage goes through the scanner.
