Foster Care
Caring for Medically Fragile Infants in Foster Care
By Waturi Johnson · March 10, 2024 · 6 min read
Serving as an independent nurse provider for medically fragile infants in foster care taught me lessons no textbook could. Here is what that work involves.
The phone rings, and a medically fragile infant needs a home tonight. What happens next is everything this work is about: preparation, clinical judgment, and a willingness to show up for the most vulnerable patients there are.
What medically fragile means
These are infants who may depend on feeding tubes, oxygen, monitors, or complex medication schedules. Caring for them in a home setting requires the clinical skills of a nurse and the steadiness of a parent.
The clinical reality
Every day is a series of assessments: weight, intake and output, respiratory effort, signs of distress that a layperson would miss. The documentation has to be precise, because these children move between systems and every provider needs an accurate picture.
Why it shapes my writing
When I write about pediatric health or caregiver education, I am writing from inside that experience. I know the questions caregivers actually ask at 3 a.m., and I write to answer them.
