It's hard to try and explain how much I appreciate all of the nurses in the Nursery. Their job seems nearly impossible. They have to take care of these fragile newborns, but also provide the parents with a sense of support and comfort when it's needed the most. After five weeks in the nursery, we left that nursery with a healthy baby and some lifelong friends, one of those friends being Nurse Denise.
Our son spent five long weeks in the Special Care Nursery. When we showed up in the morning and saw that Denise was in, a sense of comfort came over us. We knew that she genuinely cared for our little guy, that she took care of him in a special way. Also, we knew that she was an expert with these babies. Somehow, she had a special touch with getting him to finish those tiny bottles! Through blood transfusions, tests, labs, or whatever was thrown his way, she knew how to handle it. And after it was all done, she would always take the time to sit down, talk us through it, and give us advice. I think she referred to herself as "Grandma Denise" a few times, and it was 100% true. She loved him, and cared for our whole family with her whole heart.
I remember her crying when she had to say goodbye during our little guy's discharge. But I knew this wouldn't be the last time that we saw her. I always knew we'd stay in contact. I always told her that we'd meet up one day soon. Little did I know, the next time I would see her outside of the hospital would be such a terrible day. My brother passed away suddenly a few months ago. While standing in the funeral home, I saw Nurse Denise walk up to my family. I tear up now while writing this because her kindness just blew me away. Her hugs and kind words were exactly what I needed in that moment. I always knew that "Grandma Denise" was like family, but this solidified my love and appreciation for her.
Denise is an amazing, thoughtful, wholehearted person. She is exactly where she was intended to be, in that Nursery, helping people through their hardest, most fragile time. She deserves so much praise and appreciation.
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Foley insertion, CPR, accuchecks, safely transferring patients. These are a few items on a nurse's skills checklist. Prayer is nowhere to be found on that list, but what a difference it makes to the emotional healing of our patients!
I would like to recognize Denise for her actions during a shift we shared in April 2014. While it was some time ago now, this day will forever be one of the most memorable in my nursing career. Denise was having a hectic day, not unknown to a nurse. Before she could start a blood transfusion on a patient, she noted the patient's IV infiltrated. What a frustrating way to start the day! It did not get easier from there. You see, the day prior the same patient suffered a stillbirth. In her religion, one must be buried within a certain number of hours following death. While her family was attending the service, the mother was not physically well enough to be discharged. Between the checking of blood products, fundal checks, and frequent vital signs, the grieving mother was alone in her room. Baby's services began at 11:00 am. It was around 10:30 that Denise approached me at the nurses' station stating she had asked the patient if she could be with her at 11:00 and pray with her, and if I could join. From about 11:00 to 11:30, the three of us sat and prayed. First, the patient prayed in her own language, followed by Denise's rehearsal of the Lord's prayer, and my unrehearsed prayers for healing and peace. We then talked about what each prayer meant. As the patient wiped her tears, she revealed a smile of gratitude for the comfort that she was provided during such a sad time. You see, Denise saw more than an infiltrated IV site when she walked into that room; she saw a lonely grieving mother.
On this day, in this moment, Denise showed the world what a nurse is made of. The time management, communication, and delegation needed to care for a team, the critical thinking to check the IV site before requesting blood, the cultural diversity, and respect to pray alongside people with differing beliefs, and the compassionate heart to support this mother.