Afsaneh is the best and highest embodiment of what being a true healer is all about. She was professionally competent in carrying out her required care duties, but beyond that, had a terrifically innate sense of what else was really the right thing to do in a difficult situation. She looked at the whole picture.
I had a very long, arduous labor followed by an unplanned C-section. When my baby was delivered, she had aspirated meconium and was whisked off to the NICU before I could even see her. Things became pretty chaotic after that. I didn't get to see my baby until the next day, and wasn't able to do any skin to skin contact until 2 days later. At 2am that night the NICU called and said they were putting her on a ventilator, of course I got scared my baby wasn't going to make it.
Over the week she was in the NICU, I went down as much as I could to spend time with my baby and within a few days she was able to come off the vent and I was able to try breastfeeding. Unfortunately, with the delay in starting to pump and my baby not being able to breastfeed right after birth, it was not going well, my baby was not gaining weight and the experience was very stressful.
Afsaneh was a real champ during this time. Afsaneh was compassionate and solution orientated. She listened, communicated and had a can-do attitude. She strongly encouraged me to keep working on the breastfeeding. She reassured me that it was going to be ok and understood that it was important for me to be physically present whenever possible during the feedings.
Afsaneh helped us arrange a short term overnight stay so we could minimize the travel time back and forth to the hospital NICU. I can't say enough how this extra night made a such a HUGE difference to us.
Afsaneh was my daughter's and our advocate and helped us get the help we needed at the hospital. She helped me stay positive and strong, especially when I was exhausted, wildly emotional, stressed out and frightened. This advocacy may have come at some risk to Afsaneh in terms of pushing the boundaries of official policies from time to time, but I can't tell you how strongly I believe it was the right thing to do and I am so thankful we had an opportunity to have her on some of our shifts.
Afsaneh understood this better than anyone and did everything she could to help our family get back on track. I felt completely secure in her care. It's not always just the vital signs and checklists, but also the peripheral things and feelings that are equally important.