Health Care Reform

So I have tried to familiarize myself with the new health care reform but there are still so many questions and worries that I have. As a nurse my one fear is that any time the government is in charge of something it is highly regulated. The reform says that there will opportunities for nurses but are any of the people designing this bill nurses or doctors?

I am a young nurse and this reform to me feels both needed but scary. I am sure to even politicians the change is somewhat scary. At my hospital we have went without pay raises for almost two years now because our hospital is not doing financially well. We do however provide some of the best care and have never turned a patient away regardless of their insurance status. I must say though when I have a patient it is always communicated that they are self pay. I feel that even though they are self pay that they are treated with the same respect and receive the same care as you or I would.

With government regulation on health care my main concern is time spent at the bedside. Generally when a government oversees a particular area this means more paperwork and documentation. As a nurse I am already spending a lot of time documenting so I am afraid that we will be giving up quality of care. With such high regulations will this take away from time at the bedside? At our hospital we have strived to make small changes to provide more time for our patients.

The reason I say that this reform is needed is because recently we were told that eventually physicians may choose to not accept medicare or medicaid patients because they are receiving very little in reimbursement. In this area these patients are our primary group which has put our hospital in a very hard spot. We want to provide the best care for every patient but we must have the financial status to do so.

When you go into hospitals and you see new tv's, remodeled units, and lots up upgrades it raises the question how can they possibly be struggling? The way I understand it is hospitals have seperate funds for improvements on the facilities and this money CAN NOT be used on wages. I understand that hospitals have to compete with newer and bigger facilities but I also believe that these funds should be used for wages in hard times. I would choose to have one less tv for great care but I suppose there are people out there that would choose differently.

Plagiocephaly

I have noticed that my son's head as gotten increasingly flatter. In fact I think it has now hit a plateau and seems completely flat on the backside. At around 2 months I began to notice the change of shape and questioned this at his two month appt. The doctor told me it is normal and not to worry although I was and still am very self concious about his flat head. My way of dealing is to point it out to others before they get a chance to comment on how flat his head is. Some people have told me that it must of been the way he was laying in my belly but when I brought him home from the hospital his head was much rounder. At his four month appt his doctor did tell us that his head was a "little flat"....little?? to me I don't think it could get much worse! She said not to worry and that as soon as he is able to sit up on his own his head is still molding and will improve. She said it is very common and especially since most pediatricians preach back to sleep to prevent SIDS until the child is able to roll on their own. Since about two months I have tried to limit the time he has on his back and even started to let him sleep on his stomach during the night. Another reason I put him on his stomach is because he is not a good burper and usually falls asleep with his last bottle of the night and then will not burp.. I don't want him to spit up and then choke so I put him on his stomach. Other than sleeping Kinnick is not fond of being on his stomach at all. His neck is very strong but when he is on his stomach he is limited to what he can see around him. Since I am very aware of Kinnick's little flat I did research the subject...

Having a flat head is actually called Plagiocephaly and it occurs when a baby's head develops a flat spot or becomes asymmetrical due to some kind of external pressure. Babies are born with a soft, pliable skull, and when they sleep on their back every night, their head can develop a flat spot where it presses against the mattress. Starting in the early '90s, parents were told to put their babies to sleep on their back to reduce the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. While this advice may have saved thousands of babies' lives, experts have also noted a fivefold increase in the incidence of misshapen heads since then. A baby may also develop an abnormally shaped head if development in the womb is constricted somehow. This can happen when there's more than one fetus, if the mother's uterus or pelvis is especially small, or if there's too much or too little amniotic fluid. It can also happen to a breech baby whose head gets wedged under the mother's ribs.

I have also read a couple things that are used as treated for plagiocephaly which include a helmet and special pillows. The helmet helps to reshape the babies head. Luckily Kinnick's head is not bad enough that he would need a helmet but I have considered purchasing a pillow. One article suggested buying a really soft pillow that wouldn't put pressure on the head. Although several people have said this is so common and not to worry about it.. I can not help but notice and wonder what others think. He certainly does not have a flat head because he is unloved or not held enough because we love to snuggle him and love him dearly!!



On a much better note KJ and I have found a new love... WALKS. It is so nice to get out now that the weather is warmer and the sun is shining. The first walk we went was when we went to visit my friend Kelley and her daughter Toryn. Toryn is only a month older than Kinnick but is very strong.. she is already sitting up on her own and holding her own bottle. It was neat to see them interact! When we decided to go for a walk I hadn't brough a coat so Kelley let us borrow one of Toryn's. It was cream but I am sure he will not enjoy the story as he gets older how he shared clothes with the neighbor girl. :)

Meals

Today has been a very productive day for me. I have so far made and froze six meals. I have the ingredients to do two more and then left a list for Aaron to pick up a couple things to freeze a couple more. It is so nice to pull a meal out of the freezer and just bake it. It does make for a busy day or two when you make the meals but I am often not in the mood to cook so when I am I just make several:)

I enjoy getting new recipes from the Campbell's Soup Website and usually only make things with high ratings. After I try the recipe and like it I add it to the Kaufman Family Recipes. Here is one we had for lunch today.....

Lasagna Roll Ups

1c Ricotta Cheese
1/2c pesto sauce
8 lasagna noodles
1 can prego sauce
3/4c pace picante sauce
1lb Ground Sausage (any kind... I used venison)
1 cup mozzarella cheese

Stir the ricotta and pesto together and top each noodle with the mixture. Roll up the noodle and place seam down in a shallow baking dish. Stir the Prego and Picante Sauce together and add the cooked sausage. Spread over the lasagna noodles and bake at 400 for 30 minutes. Top with Mozzarella and bake for additional 5 minutes.

Have A Great Weekend!

Exciting News

I have been anxious to share all of my exciting news..... Today our photographer called, Deanna Cathcart, and said that Webster City Medical Clinic had contacted her about running an ad i the paper for them. They chose three pictures and then they will further narrow it down to one and Kinnick's picture was chosen as one of the three! Today he had his four month appt and he was 15lbs and 26inches long. He was in the 55th percentile for weight and 86th for height. We also found two teeth poking through. I also found out that the hospital is going to be holding a cutest baby contest to help raise money for the March of Dimes so I will post a few options I am thinking of.

These are his 3 month pictures that I just got back

This is one option I am thinking of and the other is just a snap shot that I will upload later.





My sister was also cleaning out her room and came across an album of pictures of just Aaron and I so I thought I would share some of them. We were both much thinner in those days.....


These first two are from my freshman year. The first is girl's substate basketball game. The second is our first prom together

This is the black lab that I got Aaron's sister Katie while she was away at church camp. This was the first of many animals I brought to the Kaufman household.

At a basketball game I think.... Aaron's face was sooo thin

This was my sophmore year prom.... Aaron's Senior year

Junior year prom.. Aaron came back from college to go with me

This picture was in Ohio.. the first time I met his Beyeler Grandparents. This was summer of my Senior year I believe.

At BV.. I was much tanner then:)

Squash

So Kinnick has turned four months now and I have thought about introducing baby foods. At 2 months my doctor told me to introduce rice cereal into his bottle to see if it would help him sleep. The rice worked the first night and then didn't make a difference so I stopped giving it to him. I recently reintroduced him to rice cereal and fed it to him with a spoon and all he does is scream. I have tried making it thicker, thinner, and adding juice but he just seems to dislike it. He is drinking six ounces every four hours and actually seems satisfied so I thought hold off for a little while. I talked to several friends and everyone has pretty much told me they started introducing veggies at 4 months. I also read a really interesting article in parenting magazine about the situation. The article said that even pediatricians have mixed feelings and some will tell you 4 months and other 6. It also said that when your baby starts focusing on your food and watching his parents eat that he is probably ready. Kinnick doesn't watch us eat but I decided to pick up a few baby foods today. I have heard to try veggies first and that you should start with foods that are all the same color. I do know that you introduce different veggies one a time to determine if they have food allergies. Tonight we tried squash and it was a hit. He just took a few bites and it took a little while to get the hang of it but he never cried and even opened his mouth for the spoon. He seemed very pleased with the meal and even giggled through the whole thing. I have not yet decided if I will continue feeding him baby food or hold of. Childhood obesity scares me and I know that some pediatricians feel that starting babies to young can be a contributor. He has his four month appt next week so we will see what she has to say.