My son was admitted to the NICU right after he was born for respiratory distress. He was slowly making progress, and we were expected to go home in 24 hours. Then, to my complete shock, they put his feeding tube back in, and it was like we were starting all over again. I was so discouraged and cried pretty much all night. Danielle came on the next morning and talked me through the situation. She was so good at communicating with patients and understanding the emotions I was wrestling with. She gave me hope, and I was so encouraged by the little things she did that were not required by her job duties, because she cared. I forgot a connection I had needed for the breast milk pump in my room, and without knowing how sore I was from delivery and how difficult it would be for me to go back and get it, she offered to go get it for me!

When she was in my room, she noticed the 3 garbage bags I had tied up and had set by the door. She took them out for me, too! The next major hurdle I had to overcome was nursing, since my son had not had the chance to learn yet because of the breathing issues. The lactation consultant wasn't available at the time, so she volunteered to help me get started and gave me tips and pointers. She was so good and extremely helpful, and I felt like she really cared and understood our situation. When she wasn't helping me, I could overhear her talking to the other babies she was caring for. It was so sweet and exactly the way I would want my baby treated if I weren't there! After she "walked me down off the ledge," another mom came in and sounded just like me: frustrated, sad, and confused. It was amazing to see her turn around and walk the other mom "down off the ledge" too! She did so much emotional work that went unseen.