Jessica Millburg
May 2020
Jessica
Millburg
,
RN
Supplemental Nurse Resources
HSHS St. John's Hospital
Springfield
,
IL
United States
We walked into a Mexican restaurant and sat down...we hadn't been sitting there for five minutes and my son asked me where the chip went. I asked what chip he was talking about. He said, "the chip the baby grabbed."
Apparently, the baby had grabbed a chip and started to eat it. She did it so quickly I didn't even see it. About that time, she started gagging. And then gasping. I swiped her mouth and got nothing. I picked her up and started patting her back. Nothing was coming up and she just kept gagging. Finally, I squeaked out, "somebody please help me."
Even typing it makes me cry. Because in that moment I have never felt so helpless in my entire life. The next thing I knew, I heard a lady say, "I'm a nurse." She swooped in and grabbed her. She flipped her, pulled her arm up, and started hitting her back, and finally, finally, she started vomiting it up into my hands. I remember asking if she was breathing. If she was okay. I think the whole restaurant sighed out loud, was hollering for her, and told her good job when she finally started spitting it up. That lady handed her back to me and she said, "I'm a pediatric ICU nurse. She's okay."
I just started bawling. She hugged me and then she hugged me again. I sat down with my baby and just cried at the table. I have never been more scared in my life. The nurse finished her meal with her family and came over to see us before she left. At that point, the baby was hollering, singing, and banging her hands on the table like normal again. She told her that was a better sound to hear. She hugged me and I thanked her for saving my baby's life.
My baby will be 18 months old. As I type this, she is asleep on my chest after a full family weekend at the lake. But we would never know half of this or get to experience it every day if it weren't for Jessica. I truly believe she's an angel. Her heart is pure as gold, and we can never, ever repay her. My baby would have died that day without her...she wasn't on duty. She wasn't at work. She acted with as much grace, professionalism, and compassion as would have been expected had she been working. And I'd probably still be sitting at that table thinking I was a horrible mother had it not been for her kindness and compassion. Reading it now and trying to write about it again still takes my breath away.
Apparently, the baby had grabbed a chip and started to eat it. She did it so quickly I didn't even see it. About that time, she started gagging. And then gasping. I swiped her mouth and got nothing. I picked her up and started patting her back. Nothing was coming up and she just kept gagging. Finally, I squeaked out, "somebody please help me."
Even typing it makes me cry. Because in that moment I have never felt so helpless in my entire life. The next thing I knew, I heard a lady say, "I'm a nurse." She swooped in and grabbed her. She flipped her, pulled her arm up, and started hitting her back, and finally, finally, she started vomiting it up into my hands. I remember asking if she was breathing. If she was okay. I think the whole restaurant sighed out loud, was hollering for her, and told her good job when she finally started spitting it up. That lady handed her back to me and she said, "I'm a pediatric ICU nurse. She's okay."
I just started bawling. She hugged me and then she hugged me again. I sat down with my baby and just cried at the table. I have never been more scared in my life. The nurse finished her meal with her family and came over to see us before she left. At that point, the baby was hollering, singing, and banging her hands on the table like normal again. She told her that was a better sound to hear. She hugged me and I thanked her for saving my baby's life.
My baby will be 18 months old. As I type this, she is asleep on my chest after a full family weekend at the lake. But we would never know half of this or get to experience it every day if it weren't for Jessica. I truly believe she's an angel. Her heart is pure as gold, and we can never, ever repay her. My baby would have died that day without her...she wasn't on duty. She wasn't at work. She acted with as much grace, professionalism, and compassion as would have been expected had she been working. And I'd probably still be sitting at that table thinking I was a horrible mother had it not been for her kindness and compassion. Reading it now and trying to write about it again still takes my breath away.