I’ll Never Forget It
A dad was co-sleeping with his new baby in a comfy chair in their room on postpartum. I was told that dad stumbled out to the nurses’ station cradling his cold dead child. We coded for an hour and we were able to get ROSC before shipping out via helicopter, but that baby was mostly brain dead by that point.
The most heartbreaking thing is how it actually happened. The baby got malpositioned and suffocated with its face pressed up against the dad. They ended up donating the organs a few days later. I’ve seen way worse things happen to babies, but this will always stick in my memory because of that dad.
He was broken in a way that I’m not sure can ever be healed. Utterly, inescapably, indescribably, and permanently devastated.
I hope dad is okay. I hope that the postpartum nurse is okay. Practice safe sleep.