My infant was ready to be discharged; however, I wasn’t. We stayed overnight. Every day, I would stare at my child’s breathing pattern. Something didn’t feel right. I see sick infants every day, so I tried not to overthink it. Here and there, I would notice a color change around his lips. Erica, who normally works in another unit, floated that night. She saw me worried and did her assessment. She turned on the lights and was very detailed. After carefully assessing my baby, she asked me if there was anything she could do to help. I decided to open up to her and tell her how I felt. She called another nurse to assess and make sure they saw what she saw. She assured me she would notify the right people who could answer questions and promised to come back and not to worry. Without delay, Erica did the best she could and managed to get others that could help. Then, the superiors decided to transfer my baby to another unit.

My infant was at risk for a congenital condition. His breathing was labored. He was on a breathing support device called high flow. Proper labs, monitors, and observation were placed. If it wasn’t for Erica’s proper assessment and advocating for him, I cannot imagine what would have happened at home. She could have just taken a shortcut. It was a very busy night with multiple deliveries.

I already lost a child to SIDS. Erica, you are our angel. You, Dr. T, and the charge nurse are a huge blessing. We will forever be grateful. I’m sorry if you took the heat and ended up doing triple work. You never made a fuss. You took care of everything. Thank you so much for going above and beyond and advocating for our baby. May God bless you all. Keep doing what you do. You’re a great asset to Northwestern Medicine. Thank you for following everything by the book. I am a healthcare worker and feel thankful to have a person like you care for us the right way.