Hanna Salaam, BSN, RN, RNC-MNN

My husband, newborn baby, and I met Hanna on a Friday evening. I was 1 day postpartum and I was sore from delivering my son the day before and disheartened because breastfeeding wasn’t going as I envisioned. Hanna came into work early that day, and I feel so lucky that we were on her assignment list. Right off the bat, Hanna provided thorough assessments on me and my son. Her nursing skills were excellent; however, what set her apart from other nurses is what she did for me and my little family that cannot be taught. She took time and read cues that I was giving off.

Physically, I was doing excellent. I was getting up and moving and taking care of my hygiene… mentally and emotionally, I was struggling. I placed an extreme pressure on myself to breastfeed and my son was having a difficult time latching. Hanna picked up on this. She took the time to sit with me and coach me though one of his feeds. She asked me “How are you feeling?” And noticed that once he wouldn’t latch, I would get disheartened. She allowed me to talk to her about how I was feeling, validated my frustration about the situation, and provided me with very helpful tips and solutions- her tips we are successfully using today. I met Hanna as a total stranger and when her shift ended, I was sad! She felt like family to us. We will always be thankful to Hanna for the excellent care that she provided.