A 22-year old mother from Mexico arrives at the Emergency Department with her 3-month old daughter, who has a temperature of 100.6 degrees F (38.1 degrees C) and signs of sepsis. The ED physician orders a lumbar puncture, but the mother is hesitant to consent until her husband arrives. What should the ED nurse do?

In Mexican and other Hispanic cultures, the male is head of the household and makes major decisions. The nurse should continue to try to reach the baby's father. Symptoms of sepsis in newborns and young babies include: poor feeding, vomiting. fever (above 100.4°F [38°C] or higher rectally) or sometimes low temperatures, pale skin, cool extremities, and irritability.