Back in August, my daughter went to the Emergency Department with nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain. She was 37 weeks pregnant. The following is a short version of the events that occurred within the next 24 hours of her arriving at the hospital and how one RN made all the difference in the world.
The last couple of weeks have been a total whirlwind! My son-in-law called me that Sunday morning and told me he and my daughter were at the hospital because she had been sick for the last 24 hours and wasn't able to keep anything down, not even clear fluids. She knew she was getting dehydrated and was feeling worse with each passing minute. K knew she needed to go to the ED but being a stubborn ED nurse herself, this was a STRUGGLE! I grabbed my "L&D Bag" which, I have to admit, was not even packed yet because it was much too early!! Right? I threw everything I could think of into the bag and ran out the door. When I got to the hospital, my daughter had already been admitted to L&D, her IV started and labs were drawn. But I didn't need to know all of her vital signs and lab values to know something was terribly wrong. I knew it as soon as I looked at her and my heart sank. The "nurse" in me went out the window and the "momma" in me kicked in.
After being given some medications via IV, my daughter's BP finally started to stabilize. We were then told the doctor was going to break her water and then start her on Pitocin to induce her labor. There would be no epidural and no C-section unless it was a matter of life or death. Her blood clotting factors were all abnormal and she could literally bleed to death. They were transfusing her with units of plasma to get her platelet count up. They padded the side rails on her bed just in case she started having seizures. They even moved the crash cart next to her door!
OMG! Is this really happening?? That is MY BABY laying there and I felt so helpless. There was a lump the size of a softball in my throat and I couldn't even talk. Tears seemed to flow uncontrollably. Thank goodness I was wearing a mask so they weren't quite so noticeable. I was supposed to be the "strong one". I was supposed to be "the rock". When all of my daughter's prenatal classes were canceled due to COVID-19, I went to work learning everything and anything I could about labor and delivery, breathing techniques, positioning, infant care, breastfeeding......you name it, I learned about it! I hadn't had any experience with OB since nursing school! I was going to learn it all and help my daughter through this whole birth process! YEAH, RIGHT! Didn't happen quite that way at all!
At 7 pm there was a shift change on L&D and my daughter's nurse for the next 12 hours was Amanda Lalich. I could tell almost immediately that Amanda was the answer to my prayers! She was a very knowledgeable and experienced RN and she assessed and took charge of the whole situation immediately. My daughter was diagnosed with preeclampsia with HELLP Syndrome (Hemolysis, elevated liver enzymes, low platelet count) and Amanda picked up on it right away. Amanda was right there, explaining everything and assuring me that everything was going to be OK. She was kind, caring, and compassionate and gave my daughter the confidence she needed each step of the way. As I watched my daughter laying there going through all this, I was absolutely amazed at her strength and determination. I whispered to Amanda, "I don't know where she gets the strength". Amanda turned to me and said, "From you. She gets her strength from you".
The next thing I knew it was time to push! Amanda coached K through the whole pushing process as well and, after about 5 or 6 pushes, my daughter had my beautiful granddaughter in her arms! Time stood still during that moment. Nothing else in the whole wide world mattered. We were just there, in that one brief moment in time, and all was right. She was safe in her momma's arms and absolutely perfect in every way.
I saw Amanda taking care of my daughter and granddaughter just as she had throughout this whole process. I will never forget her professional, experienced and dedicated care she gave to all of us that night ... for it made all the difference in the world. And then there was me, still frozen in that one beautiful, glorious moment in time! My eyes were fixed on my daughter and my brand new beautiful baby granddaughter. Tears welled up in my eyes again and that softball was back in my throat but my heart was at peace, my soul was content and all was right with the world.
Please extend my sincere thanks to Amanda Lalich, RN for everything she did for our family that night!! There are not enough words to even begin to express my sincere gratitude! She is an excellent, knowledgeable, and caring RN and, thanks to her, we had a wonderful outcome to a very critical and scary situation! She is a valuable asset to the healthcare profession and I am so glad and so thankful she works at our hometown hospital! She is truly my hero!