July 2019
Johanna
Howell
,
RN
Labor & Delivery – Pavilion
Texas Children's Hospital
Houston
,
TX
United States

 

 

 

From the beginning, as I entered the labor and delivery room on the 5th floor for my scheduled C-section, Johanna was there to meet and greet me, my husband, and my family. She was very clear and precise on the steps over the C-section procedure. She also made sure my husband understood what was going to happen and what he needed to do. During the C-section procedure, she stood by and guided my husband on where he needed to be and talked me through the steps that were going on since I couldn't see much, such as "we are going to clean the baby now". Afterward, she allowed ample time to guide me through the breastfeeding process. She was very patient with me on providing instructions on the proper way it is performed that makes it natural for the baby. She continued helping even after her relief came and told her she could take a lunch break.
After a few hours of checking my vitals and performing an examination, Johanna noticed excess bleeding occurring. She informed us what she examined and that she would call the doctor to do a thorough examination to ensure there isn't anything serious occurring. Soon after, the doctor came in and said the same and that she would need some medication to help the bleeding slow down. They would watch it for a while to ensure it slows down. There were a lot of medical terminologies spoken between them that I couldn't repeat or knew what it was. In the meantime, my family came into the room unaware of the situation. They saw the baby for about half an hour then Johanna immediately informed everyone to leave the room because she needed to perform another examination. She said it in a calm professional manner in which no one assumed there were any complications occurring. Johanna actually saw bleeding occurring that was very severe. She told my husband to hold the baby and alerted the doctor again that she needed to come right away. Before I knew it there were several nurses that entered the room. Each had a specific role they were performing such as monitoring vitals, changing pads, and preparing the room for several situations that may occur. Johanna stood by my side telling me everything is going to be ok while instructing the other nurses in the situation. The doctor entered and sat on the bed trying to control the bleeding that was occurring. Several minutes passed with the doctor controlling the bleeding and nurses, including Johanna, communicating with one another and with the doctor about preparations and medications to use to assist. When everything began to minimize, the doctor informed me that everything was under control, she was trying to slow the bleeding down and explained that she put medications in me to help the bleeding to slow down. She then stepped out and so did the other nurses, except for Johanna. I began to cry not knowing exactly what was happening and fearful of what may happen. Johanna immediately calmed me down and said everything is fine, let's focus on the positives. She said the positive things happening now are your bleeding is minimizing, we successfully added a medical device inside you that acts as a balloon to help the blood clotting, and the epidural is still lasting, so you are not feeling any pain. She then checked on my husband to see if he was ok with the baby. It wasn't much longer after I was recovering, she informed us that she would be transferring us to the CCU area where I will recover and be monitored.
When we arrived at the CCU area she explained to the nurses the situation and what had happened in the same manner as she started the day, precise and clear. She was very understanding and told me to rest and recover and that she would come check on me. She told me bye and I thanked her for all her help and assistance. Johanna had been by my side from 06:00 to 15:00, a total of 9 hours. I am truly grateful for her actions and her willingness to help me through the whole process.