I have always had routine, easy childbirths. This time around, I was carrying as a gestational surrogate for a friend, and after an otherwise uneventful delivery, Heather was a wonderful presence during recovery. She was cheerful, funny, reassuring and efficient. Sometime after delivery, Heather noticed my uterus wasn't settling in where it should. She emptied my bladder, and still, the problem persisted. She did an internal check to see what was going on and helped me pass a significant number of clots from my still-bleeding uterus. She continued to monitor me, and when the problem persisted, she urged my doctor to come back to the hospital to follow up. When he returned, Heather was confidently and easily able to explain exactly what she saw, what her concerns were, and why she brought him back in.
Ultimately, it was determined I was quickly developing a postpartum hemorrhage and was whisked away to the OR for a D&E. For the entire 12 hours of Heather's shift, she was a constant and reassuring presence for me. From the moment she first recognized the problem, through my time in the ICU through the end of her shift, she was kind, compassionate, funny, and helpful. She and the ICU nurses worked together to make sure I had everything I needed to be comfortable and begin to heal. From ice chips all the way to commandeering a more comfortable bed for me, Heather proactively handled every aspect of my care and kept my mind at ease about the events of the night.
Heather's knowledge and quick response most certainly saved me from an emergency hysterectomy, and after losing 4 liters of blood and receiving a transfusion, her quick actions may also have saved my life! Thank you, Heather, for your amazing nursing skill and compassionate care.