While the birth of a child brings much joy, many women also experience post-partum depression and struggle to articulate overwhelming feelings of sadness and anxiety. Fortunately, Corrine Karpf, RN, a nurse who works on St. Charles Hospital's Maternal Child Unit, recognized this emotional distress in one of her patients and responded with competence and compassion, to help bring this mother through a dark time.
The patient explained, saying, "After my delivery, Corrine was always there when I needed help, whether to make sure I had the needed medication or to help me get a break from my stream of visitors. I was in a lot of physical pain and discomfort but I also felt incredibly emotional. I know now that I was suffering from postpartum depression. Corrine came in, spoke with me about it, and let me know that I was not alone. She was my nurse on one of my most difficult days, and I am so thankful for that."
The patient's husband added, "Corrine was absolutely fantastic and really stood out. She was there when we needed her--even before we had to press the call button--gave extremely thorough explanations, and respectfully mitigated the number of visitors we had. When it came time for mywife to speak about postpartum depression with the social worker, Corrine was such a comfort to my wife that she seemed less like the nurse on call, and more like a friend who just wanted the best for us."