Our son was found to have a heart defect after his birth and as a new Mom, I was completely unprepared for this diagnosis. Being a new postpartum Mom and having to deal with so many scary unknowns, being transferred, being away from my family, and not knowing the future for my son, left me a bawling mess.
I encountered Amy Jenkins the first day shift and from the start, she knew exactly when to just embrace the silence of my tears and when to give me time to talk about what I was going through and answer any questions. Amy made sure to help me understand the daily routine of the Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit and what to possibly expect in the days to come.
In the time I spent with her on the first days, Amy quickly became my source of comfort and brought so much peace to me and my son. Her care was above and beyond. Amy treated my son like her own. She also knew I was dying to hold my baby and made sure we could at any time possible. She also advocated for me to be able to do some latching after pumping which made this hospital feel more like they wanted me to successfully breastfeed.
Out of the nurses I encountered, from birth until now, Amy has left a lasting impression on our family and we are so thankful she was our first encounter for such a scary time. There need to be more nurses like her everywhere. Our care here at ACH has been amazing and all of the staff has been great. She just stood out and should be shouted out. It's so important as a parent in these situations that they are prepared and allowed to grieve all emotions. I feel like her care was above and beyond what was expected of a CVICU nurse.