Cristina,

You did the right thing! I don't blame you in the least! The nurse is a jerk.. and she does not have 6 month old triplets to deal with when they are sick... beleive me my trio is 10mths and they just got over their first cold.. it was a nightmare dealing with 3 misreable babies who all want mommy and want to be held!!

Don't feel like an idiot...

Marla

Mommy to Sarah, Garrett and Hope 31w5d 3/8/03

OH MY GOSH!!! NO, YOU ARE NOT BEING TOO OVERPROTECTIVE!! I am the SAME way with my kids. I make EVERYONE wash their hands before touching them. I even put a sign on my door that reads, "Welcome! With the cold and flu season in full swing, please wash your hands upon entering the house. Thank you!" You had every right to say what you did to that nurse. Fortunately, my doctor is great. She washes her hands before touching my children, and inbetween each child. But I have been in your situation before. People sometimes think I'm a little nuts because I still make them wash hands and my boys are nine months old, but I just say, "You'll never know what it's like to have a cold, times THREE!" Keep it up, you're being a GREAT mom!!


Karen - proud mother of spontaneous triplet boys:
Ethan,Dylan,& Parker
3/24/03
33weeks, 4 days

Karen - blessed wife to Paul,
Proud mom to spontaneous boys
3/24/03
God is soooo good!

Hi Cristina:
Okay, I am going to come out on the other side of this one. Since you are asking for opinions, I would say that yes, getting upset at the nurse for not washing her hands after touching the doorknob might be taking things a little far (IMO). Do you wash your hands everytime that you touch something? I can see why you wanted to move to a room if there was a sick child in the waiting room (although I will say that one of my boys has asthma and it is quite possible for him to have a cough that is unrelated to a transmitable illness). I can also understand that you would expect the nurse to wash her hands between patients (which she indicated she did). But you are going to drive yourself crazy if you start worrying about things like doorknobs,etc.

Again, just my feelings on the subject. You have every right to have a different opinion, (and she should not have made you feel like an idiot.)

Kelly
Mom to 7 yr old b/b/b

I don't think the concern was that the person had touched "a" doorknob, but that it was a doorknob in a doctor's office. I would guess that, yes, they DO have more germs than the average doorknob.

Cristina, in addition you might want to mention this to the doctor.

BettyC
Mom to Anna, Charlie and Sarah, 6/99

No, you are not being overprotective. It amazes me that some of the health care professionals do the things they do. When we were in NICU, one of the nurses was standing over one of the babies and started coughing, you know that hacking cough. Well she was doing something with her hands so she did not cover her mouth. My husband asked her not to cough over the baby and she said "it's just allergies". Well so what??? First off, my 10 year old knows to cover her mouth and certainly around a preemie! And so what if it's allergies? You still are spewing your germs all over!

I guess I just thought these health care professionals might have learned some of this before.

Ann

BBG born 7/7/03
33 weeks 3 days

Cristina-
I don't think you are being overprotective A pediatrician's office is guaranteed to have some pretty nasty germs hangigng around and doorknobs in the pediatricians office are full of them. I read a study once about just how easily transmitted things can be in drs offices. I always carry hand sanitizer with me and did from the very beginning. One of the drs in our pediatrician's office used to tease me about it, but not too long after I brought the subject up at the office, there were hand sanitizers in every exam room. There were sinks in the rooms already, and the drs wash their hand after entering the room.
My kids have to go to specialists appointments very often, and I am very conscious of how they handle kids and practice precautions. Even in the specialists offices (where there are not generally sick-ie contagious-sick kids)the *good* drs/nurses/nurse practitioners are all very conscious of not transmitting germs.
My son's surgeon was furious with a NICU nurse after one of his surgeries. He had been through a tremendous ordeal already and survived against all the odds. She, through negligence, gave him a staff infection in his surgical site. She was reprimanded officially, but probably still continues to do the same careless things. }> Unless someone points out to healthcare professionals, that they may be using unsafe techniques, how else would they know ? If they don't have the sense of how germs can be transmitted already, they can learn.
BTW- I do not touch doorknobs in restrooms or at drs offices, and do use the hand sanitizer all the time during appts if necessary. Those who say you are going overboard in preventing illness have probably never been in your position, so don't be concerned with what they think, or how they try to make you feel. I have observed *generally* that health care professional who get defensive about your concerns, are not nearly as professional or competent as those who address your concerns. I have had many nurses actually thank me for bringing up my concerns, and then either go on to explain their precautions or change what they are doing.

Lorraine

Lorraine

Reach for the heart of God and not just His hands.
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I dont blame you a bit! My peds office was set up the same way and I always wondered how come they didnt set the office right where you enter with the children , so the sick one didnt come into the well area. Because its always ineveitable that a sick toddler will come over and want to see the baby or a parent will sit in the well area with their sick child.. This system could be much improved! Now at our new peds office it is set up where you walk straight in to the desk and then the sick and well areas are on oppiste sides, its much nicer! I dont blame you one bit and you are not over reaccting, I always asked to be placed in a room as soon as I got there, no need waiting in the area they can pick something up in, my office always took me right in to another room , especially this time of year! And that nurse sure had nerve, how dare she talk to you that way! You have triplet babies and anyone in a medical proffession knows all the risk! Its hard enough to explain to the average person why we need be cautious but you shouldnt have to tell the nurse, she should respect your wishes and wash her hands when she enters a room if she intends to touch the children! Just as the Dr does! And if it still bothers you , than I suggest you call the office manager and have a chat with her about the conversation you had with the nurse! I had to make a few calls to the manager and she was always willing to hear me out and resolve any conflicts or concerns I had.
You just keep being the way you are and hopefully your babies wont catch something too bad! You are a good mommy, keep up the good work!
Kim

Kim
Wife to Brian
Mommy to BBG @ 32.5 wks)

Personally, I would not worry about her touching a door knob. I think her comments were a bit unprofessional though. When I take my kids to the pediatrians, I know that they are being exposed to illness. That is the case whenever you take them out of the house or allow someone in. You always run that risk. When my boys were smaller and it was winter time, I was much more careful. We had a sign on the door about washing hands, I washed my frequently, no one who was sick was allowed near them, etc. As summer approached, I became more lax. We went out almost every day, played in public places, etc. Now that winter is here, we are bit more careful, but no where near what were were last winter. We've been sick 3 times since Thanksgiving, and while that hasn't been fun, to me it is the price I pay for going out with them (which I need to do for my happiness and sanity). I remind myself that illnesses build their immune systems. That's just me though. I would drive myself nuts worrying about the tiny things, and it's something I choose not to do.

Best of luck making through the winter healthy. It's a tough thing to do, but wonderful if you can!

Paula
mom to Jackson, Ryan & Collin, born 9/14/02

Paula P-F

I wouldn't have even noticed if that would have happened to one of my babies. But, I'm one who in church, looked down the pew and my son no longer had little Olivia. After looking around, I found that she had been passed 3 rows up and about 7 people over. Did all of those people wash their hands after they used the restroom? Were any of them sick? I don't know, but it did make them happy to get to hold the little baby their helping to support. I can only pray she doesn't catch anything from it. I also have three older boys and two nieces who are in and out of my house all the time. Do they wash their hands every time before they touch the babies? No-as a matter of fact, they probably never wash their hands, and I would just go crazy trying to make them. I'm not finding that my babies who have been held and touched way more than my other kids have been sick any more than the older boys. My doctor said babies are usually sick 6 times a year for the first 2 years and that's about what we're averaging. We even made it through the Flu that dh brought home even though he had the shot.

I have done the same thing and ask them to wash their hands but I don't explain, they know why, my dh says it's the look I give them. Something must be on the girls files "neurotic mom" b/c I don't even have to ask them any more they wash the minute they walk into the room.

I say keep a bottle of water free hands wash handy incase they go in for a touch and just say "here give me your hand" before they can think you squeeze the solution into their hands and then their hands are clean. I use this tatic at home all the time. lol


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Honestly, it wouldn't have bothered me. I know that I can't protect my children from every possible germ. In retrospect, I can't think of a single time that nurses have washed their hands in front of me before immunizing. Since they wear gloves during the injection, I wouldn't have given it a thought.

Lisa
Mom to Aidan, Christian, and Rachel (10.03.01 @ 36wks)

Lisa
Mom to Aidan, Christian, and Rachel (10.03.01 @ 36wks)

I always sit on the "sick kid" side of the waiting room b/c it's always empty and the sick kids all seem to be on the well side. Besides, everyone then assumes that YOUR kid is sick and keeps their distance.

Paula
Mom to Ari, Eve and Max
11/00

I thinks parents have the right to be as crazy as they want to be and go as far as they feel they need to. I personal have become a little laxed. But you should not have to put up with that kind of garbage from a nurse or aide. That nuts. Family and friends will always rib the obsesive - nothing you can really do about that - but not from a health care professional thats really sad.

Susan
Wife to Justin
MoM to Kimball, Karissa, & Kelsey (11/00 @ 34 weeks)

MoM bgg-7,g-2 and, ?-due August 5th

HI, I totally agree with you in telling the nurse not to touch your daughter. People are so inconsiderate when it comes to other people's children. I would have told her the same thing.!!!! I hate to see people touch a child in the face or on the hands, just what I need my babies putting their hands in their mouth after someone just touched them with dirty hands. I was so upset myself recently, b/c someone, a stranger at that, came to my house the other day and before I can say anything she had already touched my new babies face and hands. I was furious, but I was able to politely ask her to wash her hands with antibacterial soap. I couldn't wait for her to leave so I could give my baby a thorough wipe off(smile). I have enough problems with not sleeping just due to feeding, I don't want to top it off with the babies being sick as well. Just to let you know, they did get sick afterall. That was the bummer.

http://www.tickercentral.com"[>img border="0"src="http://www.tickercentral.com/view/2hzi/1"[]/a[]

I really want to thank all of you that supported me! I'm glad I'm not the only nut that feels this way!


Cristina
Proud mommy to Daniela, Bobby and Vanessa
Born June 28, 2003 - The best day of my life!!!

Cristina
Proud mommy to Daniela, Bobby and Vanessa
Born June 28, 2003 - The best day of my life!!!