My wife gave birth seven days ago. Four days after that, she was admitted with preeclampsia. Then she was discharged only to return the next day for fear of complications.

Nurse Ashley in the ER understood. She helped get fluids, complete bloodwork, and administered general care. Then something amazing happened.

Everything came back normal. My wife could have been discharged on the spot, and indeed in any other hospital I’m sure she would have been. But Ashley understood that my wife had not been sleeping much since the birth of our daughter, so she let her.

In the quiet of that ER room, she dimmed the lights, got my wife a blanket, and discussed with me one-on-one her own personal journey through early parenthood.

While my wife slept deeply for the first time in over a week, Ashley provided me with words of encouragement, community resources, and guidance on how to tackle this new chapter.

Then she let us sleep.

A medical provider would have treated the ailment and cleared the room for rotation. This kind soul let us nap because she knew it was what we needed.