Today as I celebrate Mother's day with my family, I am reminded just how blessed I am that I am able to see my grandnephew snuggled in the arms of his parents. Things could have turned out very differently had it not been for Carrie Minton and the entire team of night shifts nurses at Avista Adventist Hospital.
I am a supervisor at Avista and have always known that the nurses on the New Life unit are amazing. I know that babies are born every day many times in emergent situations, but it was not until it affected my life personally that I realized how amazing the nurses truly are in the New Life center.
My nephew's wife was barely 32 weeks pregnant when she came into the triage room to make sure she wasn't leaking amniotic fluid. She had probably been leaking fluid for several days and it quickly became apparent that the baby was stressed. The baby's heart rate was dropping and she was prepped for an emergency C-Section, but on the way to the OR his heart rate stabilized and they decided to wait it out (keep that baby cooking for a while). Thus began the roller coaster ride.
The plan was to keep mom pregnant at least until she was able to get several doses of medicine to help mature the baby's lungs. They even wrote it on her board for her plan of care, but sometimes God has other plans. As I was saying my goodbyes for the night, I noticed that mom's contractions were coming closer together and as I put on the call light, in came Carrie Minton; she had seen the changes on the monitor already and was in to check on her.
Labor progressed fast and the baby had little reserve. His heart rate bounced all over the place and he started to have big drops in his heart rate with contractions. Carrie never looked upset, she was methodical, doing five things at once and calling very calmly for support. She told mom not to worry because there would be a lot of people in her room, simply because she didn't have enough hands herself. I knew the baby was in trouble, but realized that the team had everything under control.
Carrie coached mom through each contraction calling out for additional help as the labor progressed. She involved the deck doc as well, when it became clear that the baby was becoming increasing stressed. At one point I believe we had four labor nurses and half the NICU staff in the room all knowing the direness of the situation, working together to ensure mom and baby had the best care possible.
The deck doc used a gentle suction to deliver the baby because as each minute passed his heart rate continued to drop. The nurses had everything set up before it was even asked for knowing the baby was running out of time. I remember thinking several times, that without the precision, knowledge and speed of this team, the outcome could have been very different.
What I found was so amazing was how all the nurses worked together as if they knew exactly what each team member needed. Carrie would just speak and each nurse would respond. The NICU staff sprang into action and a little sick 2 pound 12-ounce infant came into this world alive - but fragile - requiring hours of intensive care from the fine nurses in the NICU.
I feel honored and blessed to call these women my co-workers. I will always remember Carrie's kindness, her calm approach and her swift plan of action in an urgent situation. The other nurses were fabulous as well. As a supervisor, I knew how busy they were that night. They kept getting calls about other patients in need. Yet, as a Great-Aunt-to-be; it felt like the only thing that mattered to them was my little nephew.
It is fair to say when it is a matter of life or death there is no place I would rather have my family be than in the capable hands of angels (commonly called OB nurses) such as Carrie Minton. It is an honor to nominate Carrie Minton for the DAISY Award. I will never be able to thank her enough for the profound impact she had on my family's life. I truly believe that this Baby is alive and thriving in large part due to the quick action of Carrie Minton and the entire team of OB nurses that night.