My husband and I were expecting our first child last year. He was due in November. Early July at 22 weeks my water broke. We were devastated. I was admitted into Antepartum, where we would stay until we delivered him on July 29th. As sad and disappointed as we were, our stay in Antepartum was a time I am now thankful for. The nurses and staff treated us so well. We bonded and became wonderful friends. They helped to prepare us and educate us on what we might face with our baby. This was the beginning of a very long road.
Our son was born July 29th weighing 1Lb 11oz. He was somehow able to only require C-pap for the first five days of his life. Although he was small he was strong and as first time parents we loved him more than we could ever have imagined.
During these early days we met so many wonderful nurses. Emily was assigned to us during this time and we immediately bonded with her. Emily's knowledge and kind personality was exactly what we needed. She showed us so much grace and patience. Not only was she wonderful with us she treated our son with the delicate care that he so desperately needed.
On his 5th day of life he developed an intestinal perforation. He had emergency surgery in his room, and was too unstable to be moved to an OR. Luckily the surgery was a success. They had removed 1 inch of his small intestine and he now had an ostomy bag. We would spend the next few months watching him continue to grow, heal and develop.
Emily became our night primary nurse early on at our stay in NICU. What a blessing she was to us. Emily helped all three of us. Emily always answered our questions, even if we repeated the same question a million times. She supported us in so many ways. Emily encouraged us on days that we felt so defeated. Aside from Emily's ability to deal with first time parents in a horrible situation, Emily took great pride in getting our son better and helping with his development.
I want to be very clear that we had wonderful care in NICU. There are a number of nurses who helped to save our son's life. God just handed us a special gift with Emily.
I stayed many nights with him during our time there and she always made me feel welcome and assured me that I was right where I needed to be. Emily was there for so many of his "firsts". She guided us through his first bath. She taught us how to hold our delicate baby. But most importantly she loved Him when we were unable to be there. As a mother she gave me peace to be away from him on nights when I felt I shouldn't leave him.
Our story has a wonderful ending and it continues at home. We were released after 109 days in the hospital. He is home and thriving. He is on minimal oxygen with no other major issues. We credit his good health to God and the wonderful care we had while at Covenant.
Emily is young and so eager to learn and grow. She is a great nurse with passion. She loves her job and loves the babies she helps.
She helped me learn so many things about my son and she helped guide us through a very hard time. She is an asset to the babies and parents that have the dreaded journey of the NICU. Emily is a team player and strong voice for the babies and parents. He and Emily will always have a special bond. We will forever be grateful for Emily.