"Emergency"

I took my young child over to Redcliffe to be seen about some respiratory issues. The ladies at the front emergency were nice even the two nurses there were nice and friendly, even after being there all night.

We moved on to where we were given a room and were seen by a doctor straight away and explained to him what happened. Next the morning shift started and we were seen by another lovely doctor who did all the assessments for my child. She kindly gave me the next intervention for my child and I said, "Yeah that will be great thanks". She said she will arrange for a nebuliser to be given. A lovely nurse (so I thought) turned up and introduced themselves and asked for my child's puffer and I gave it to the nurse and they said they will have to give it to my child and I agreed. My child being unwell was not cooperating and I tried holding my child still while the nurse attempted to give it. Two seconds into it the nurse said they had to get some help. When the nurse returned they had two other nurses and one of the nurses asked - don't you want to hold your child down?  I answered, "Yeah I can hold my child down".

Anyway, the first nurse started holding my child down who was obviously starting to get irritated, like who wouldn't having something held onto your face. The other two nurses held my child down as well with me holding my child's hands The nurse applying the nebuliser was squeezing my child's face into the mask and it was so obvious that the nurse was applying too much pressure on my child by the marks left on my child's face after they were done.

I was starting to feel sorry for my child because they were resisting and the nurse was pinning my child down holding that neb mask on tightly to my child's face. After all that they walked out of the room leaving me and my crying, irritated child without a word - just that was good, that will help you honey - to my child.

I am a nurse myself I deal with crying kids every day and angry and upset parents, but I also have a heart to explain to the parents why I have to do what I am about to do to their child. I am asked to give pre-medications to kids of all ages and I am told if they resist let it be or find a way to administer it. I also have the heart to sit next to the parents and try and calm the parent down if they seem upset about the whole procedure. I have never pinned or held a child down to do a procedure and if I did it was not with so much force that the parent is crying their eyes out because of it. Today I felt like I was in a mental health ward with my very young child held down with something forced to their face.

I understand that giving my child the nebuliser is to help them breathe, but is there no other way of doing it? Is there no kinder way of approaching it? Now my child won't even let me come near them with this spacer, my child now runs away. I have to hold my child down now to give it and it's a fight every time.

My experience with the Redcliffe Hospital was not so bad at the beginning, until they pinned my child down like a crazy kid and didn't consider how I felt afterwards.

I know nothing will be done about this, but I guess I'll just put it out there.