Our daughter spent months at the hospital. During that time, she was cared for by so many amazing nurses. While all of the staff were amazing, Abby consistently went the extra mile when it came to our daughter. Abby cared for her as if she was part of her family. We always hoped she would be working and when we walked in and saw her there, we breathed a sigh of relief. We knew our baby was in good hands when Abby was there. She recognized her too.
One thing that set Abby apart from all the other nurses was her attention to detail. Not just numbers, sats and stats, but to our daughters signals. Abby recognized an off day before the monitors did, usually by the color of her skin or the faces she made. She wasn't afraid to advocate for her during rounds, knowing which medicines had worked well in the past and when she was ready to be pushed. She paid attention to developmental goals and physical therapy- always working in a few stretches between diaper changes and cares.
The thing we appreciated the most was Abby's ability to care for the three of us, as a family, not just our daughter as another baby making her way through the unit. She communicated with us honestly and in a way we understood without talking down to us. There weren't many days it was safe to sit our daughter up or hold her, but on the days it was, Abby made it a priority for us to do so. She encouraged us to help with diapers, baths, clothes and anything else we could. Sometimes as new parents, it was hard to figure out how much we could do for our own baby, feeling like we needed permission for everything. Abby made us extremely comfortable getting involved whenever possible.
When our daughter became extremely sick, Abby visited us on her day off to check on our daughter. She took care of her a few days later and shared homemade soup she brought in with us because she knew we hadn't left the hospital or eaten well in days. Abby never gave up on our daughter and celebrated all of her milestones with us. Although our daughter is in heaven now, we feel confident that her medical team did everything possible for her. Without Abby as a constant point of contact and advocate for our family, we likely would not have such peace of mind during this difficult time.
We will always consider Abby part of our family and thank her for the bonding time she made sure we got with our daughter.