Having a baby is supposed to be one of the most amazing and happiest experiences of your life, and I had this experience with my uncomplicated first pregnancy. When I got pregnant with my second child we felt the same excitement and looked forward to another uncomplicated pregnancy. A few months into the pregnancy my world was turned upside down, and what was supposed to be another amazing pregnancy experience turned into the scariest experience of my life. I was diagnosed with complete placenta previa and placenta accreta, although at the time we were unsure how far the accreta had developed.
I was admitted and stayed in the hospital for over a month. I delivered my baby girl by c-section that included a hysterectomy due to the progression of the placenta. This was one of the most difficult and stressful times of my entire life. Not only was I dealing with a very scary diagnosis for me and my baby, I was also having to deal with it on hospital bed rest while away from my family. It was very difficult having to be away from my family, including my 20-month-old daughter and my husband, and not knowing what my outcome would be.
This scary, stressful, and crazy time was turned around by your staff of nurses who I encountered on the 5th Floor Antepartum Unit. I was only able to make it through this experience because of your remarkable group of nurses. They went above and beyond every day of my stay to make sure I was comfortable both mentally and physically. I was treated with respect, compassion, and understanding by each nurse that I encountered. They would spend time talking with me about my concerns, my fears, my condition, and life in general. They took the time to get to know me, not just as a patient, but as a person. When they knew I was having a rough day, they would stop in and see me and talk with me, even if they were not assigned to me that day. There were some nurses who were never assigned to me, who would stop by and say hello.
Some of the nurses would make me decaf tea from the nurses break room to add to my water because they knew that I had an issue with drinking plain water. One nurse brought me a very special angel to keep with me and look over me, and it now sits in our home watching over my little girls. They all knew that I liked to keep my door open during the day since I could not leave my room and I was alone, and they respected that fact and always said hi as they walked in and out of the nurses' station.
After my delivery, your nurses worked very hard to get me back to my room, as soon as possible after my stay in the ICU. I would not have wanted to go to any other department. They knew me, they knew my story, and I wanted to be back with them. They took the time in the middle of the night to take me down to the NICU to visit my baby because I could not sleep and worked hard to keep my pain under control.
They took the time to get to know my family, including my husband and 20-month old daughter. They interacted with them like they were family and made them feel comfortable and welcome with every visit. They brought my daughter popsicles and one of your nurses even went out of her way to bring my husband breakfast the day of my delivery/surgery because she knew he wouldn't have time to eat and needed something to get him through the day. They even sacrificed their own weight and diet plans to eat the cheesecakes my husband would make for them and were happy to provide him feedback about his cheesecakes.
There were so many ways that they went above and beyond for me. If I could award all of them the top nursing awards in the world, I would do it in a heartbeat. They are all extremely deserving. It is because of these nurses that I made it through this difficult time. Each and every nurse worked hard and went out of their way to ensure that I was taken care of.
The hardest part of this journey was being away from my family, but what I realized was that I had a new family, my St. Mary's family. We will forever be indebted to your group of nurses and all of the other staff we encountered. We feel as though we have made lifelong friends.
This group of nurses does not normally get to see the happy side of pregnancy and spend a great deal of time and effort keeping both mom and baby safe before delivery. They do not get the happy pregnant women like labor and delivery, and they do not often get to see the babies after they are born due to the need for the babies to go to the NICU or the nursery on another floor. They deal with very serious conditions on a daily basis and do so with compassion, respect, and a smile. I will always remember their efforts, compassion, and amazing work they did to keep me and my baby safe.
I felt that it was important to share my positive story, and I hope that it helps you all know that you do an amazing job and you have made a lasting impact on our family. We will always remember this amazing group of nurses, our 5th-floor family, and will continue to stop by when we can to bring cheesecakes and the girls.