It was one of the worst days of my life. My husband and I found out 4 days before that our first pregnancy would not be continuing. We discovered the baby's heartbeat had stopped around 14 weeks and we were heartbroken. Not only were we devastated but I felt conflicted about whether to have the baby surgically removed from me. My doctor was concerned for my wellbeing if I attempted the natural route, so we moved forward with the surgery.
Nurse Barb didn't have to do anything special. We weren't overly personable, friendly or chatty. I just stared at the wall trying not to burst into tears while my husband talked to the medical staff in and out of our room. From the first moment that Nurse Barb knew why we were there, she immediately stopped the medical questioning and consoled us. She was compassionate, understanding and later shared her personal story of miscarriage with us. Not only did I feel in good hands, but I felt like we were with someone who actually understood the situation we were going through. There was a moment after the procedure when she was sharing our burial options that it hit me that I'd be leaving my baby here. Nurse Barb was patient, informative and so caring in her approach that I felt reassured to be leaving them with her.
Her unexpected kindness and vulnerability in sharing her own story made us feel so lucky to be at St. Anthony's for this procedure. I had to share our story because we felt really loved and cared for in a moment when all we were hoping was that it would be over soon. Nurse Barb is a great reminder that every patient is a person with a unique story and a few kind words can make all the difference to the patient's experience.
Thank you for hiring people like Barb and flourishing a culture of professionals who really care about the person under the patient.