I delivered my son recently. The pregnancy was difficult and the birth was even more so. From the minute I arrived at the hospital I faced challenge upon challenge. My mother is a postpartum nurse and she did her best to help me through the days that followed the birth, but my health was declining and I was unable to care for my newborn.

I was discharged from the hospital and about 36 hours after arriving home, my mother found me on the bathroom floor very ill. She took me immediately back to the hospital where they found I had extremely high blood pressure and was experiencing postpartum preeclampsia. Important to my story, I was adamant that I wanted to breastfeed my son. I had been told that I was not allowed to bring him to the hospital with me upon being readmitted because of flu restrictions. I was doing my best to use a hand pump in order to keep my milk supply, but was very ill and had a very hard time.

I was placed on a medication that made my brain foggy and my body very uncomfortable. That’s when I met Angie. She took over the morning shift and was truly an angel. From the minute she walked in she comforted me and made me feel safe. I was alone in the hospital as my husband was home with my son and my parents had to work. Angie made sure to check on me every 15 to 20 minutes even though I’m sure she had a full caseload of patients. She shared some of her postpartum experiences and helped me understand what was happening to my body at the time. The main reason that I chose to nominate her for this award though, is that she went above and beyond to help me. She understood my desire to breastfeed and the importance of keeping my supply up. Angie swooped in. As soon as she realized my milk had spoiled, she immediately took it from my bedside and told me that she would take care of it. She emptied it so I wouldn’t have to do it. There’s a saying about “Don’t cry over spilled milk” and that’s for a reason! I cried so much knowing that my breastmilk had to be thrown out, but Angie was so comforting and so encouraging. She came back to my room with clean supplies, a hospital grade pump, and fashioned a pumping “bra” for me out of postpartum mesh underwear. She called in lactation consultants for me and helped me find the right fit for pumping supplies. She collected my milk each time I pumped and stored it safely and securely for me to be able to take home. I know she was incredibly busy that day because she had a watch that alerted her that she had hit her highest number of steps for a day before she even finished her shift. When storing my milk, she had to take it up two flights of stairs each time.

The help that she provided for my breastfeeding journey was the biggest thing I will remember her for, but in those 12 hours as my nurse, there were a thousand little things she did that left a lasting impact on me. From helping me to the bathroom, to making sure I had my medication the minute it was due, to helping me call my husband and parents, to ordering my food for me when I was too weak to do it. Angie would probably say “it’s just part of the job” but I want her to know that her kindness and her thoughtfulness that day were such a blessing to me and my family. Growing up around nurses, I know the job is hard, and there are very little thanks given. I hope that Angie will receive this award as a small token of thanks for hard work!