My 20-day old newborn ran a high fever of 102.6 and had to be admitted to ACH for neonatal mastitis. I had no idea when I brought her into the ER that we would be admitted. We would spend the next 6 nights in the hospital, and I was not at all prepared. I had no extra clothes, no diaper bag, and no childcare lined up for my 8-year-old at home while my husband works out of town during the week. I'm breastfeeding and my daughter will not take a bottle. So that meant I wasn't stepping out of the room without her for her entire stay. I couldn't just leave to go home to take a shower and put on fresh clothes. I was tethered to her, which was stressful being a mom to a newborn and breastfeeding for the first time. Thankfully, we had Karen as our nurse for most of the nights we were there who helped with all of these challenges.
Karen not only took amazing care of my daughter, but she also took care of me. She consistently asked what "I" needed. while people occasionally checked on me, no one really pushed for what I might need like Karen did: food or drinks to keep my milk supply up, someone to hold the baby so I could get a little sleep, a shower, or to wash my clothes. It was our 4th night in the hospital, nearly midnight, and Karen realized I had not showered and was in the same clothes I had been in the entire hospital stay. Our tiny room didn't have a shower and I didn't even realize those amenities were available. Karen decided right then, at midnight, we were moving out of our tiny room with no shower to a larger room with a shower that had just opened up. She brought me toiletries, a hospital gown, and took my clothes to be washed. And then she held my baby and soothed her to sleep, while I got a much-needed short nap. I could not have been more thankful.
What Karen didn't know is that while we lived close and my husband was able to come to stay with me and my daughter each day in the hospital room, my husband had so much going on that I didn't think to ask him for a single thing. He had just started a new job and had to take off to be with us, he was going home each night to take care of our 8-year-old son. Our son had also been sick with a stomach bug and kept him up all night throwing up and my husband was working each night to keep up with everything at the house so I wouldn't return home to a huge burden of chores: dishes, laundry, grocery store runs, mail and bills to sort through. Most of all, Karen didn't know my husband was widowed. His first wife battled cancer for nearly five years and my husband had spent far more days and nights in a hospital than anyone should have to endure. Being in a hospital brought back those painful memories. I didn't want to put any burden on my husband that wasn't absolutely necessary by asking him to bring me toiletries, clothes, or anything else that might add to his mounting daily to-do list. I wanted him to feel that I was fine and encouraged him to go home and get some rest as much as possible. Because of his personal situation, I really needed Karen to look after this momma!
I'm so thankful I had Karen to take care of me so that I could be the best possible parent for our sick little girl. I know children are the patients and the primary focus at the hospital as they should be, but ensuring parents are taken care of too allows them to take better care of their kids who need them, which is what it's all about.
She has been so diligent and understanding throughout our stay. She has been great with our child, explaining and being very caring. She is a great nurse.