January 2014
Kathleen
Wharton
,
RN
NICU
Children's Minnesota
Minneapolis
,
MN
United States
Kathy also got to know us quite well. She knew that we needed to laugh, and told us it was okay to do so, even in the room.
True to the application, Kathy exemplified excellent care and created an extraordinary experience in working with our family. Our world changed with the birth of our first daughter. After trying for four years, with many disappointments along the way, having a baby finally was an amazing gift. But having a preemie wasn't something we were prepared for. A was born at 28 weeks weighing in at 1 pound, 10 ounces to two terrified parents and four grandparents who had other grandkids, but never a situation like this. We were unsure of the situation, unsure of the environment, unaware of what a fighter our daughter was going to be and unbeknownst to us, having Kathy as A's first nurse set us on a path how we were going to get through the next, very difficult weeks.
The first two days of her life, A only had her dad, her grandma (a retired CRNA) and Kathy. I was recovering from my classical c-section, swollen and in a great deal of pain. As Kathy was helping dad through these unique and scary moments she offered one piece of advice that we, in turn, passed down to our parents when they saw A. She said, "You're going to hear a lot of dinging, ringing and see things happen to your baby. When that happens look at me. If I don't look nervous, you shouldn't be either." I can say during this experience, we looked at our nurses a lot.
Then, I finally got over to see my baby and the lessons had to start all over again with me. Kathy walked me through what all the monitors were for, what the colors on the screens meant (I think I had to ask almost every time I was in there for the first three weeks, and she always acted like it was the first time - which I appreciated). She was the first one to show me how to do everything with A: diapers, temperatures, kangaroo care, everything that seemed amazingly terrifying, but not if you looked at Kathy- it was all business as usual. She was the exact type of teacher I needed for this experience, and I consider myself, and my family, blessed that she was our first, our primary, for A.
Kathy also got to know us quite well. She knew that we needed to laugh, and told us it was okay to do so, even in the room - that it didn't need to be, and it wasn't because A was doing great. She made A's room cozy and comfortable for us - it wasn't a library or a church or even a hospital - it was A's room. And just like we would be at home, we wanted her to be surrounded by laughter, calming touch and positive words - all of which Kathy did above and beyond what I would assume her "job" was. Kathy was calming, funny, professional, she was our decoder for this confusing, unplanned madness we got thrown into. I can't imagine getting through for first few weeks without her kind words, explanations and hugs.
The first two days of her life, A only had her dad, her grandma (a retired CRNA) and Kathy. I was recovering from my classical c-section, swollen and in a great deal of pain. As Kathy was helping dad through these unique and scary moments she offered one piece of advice that we, in turn, passed down to our parents when they saw A. She said, "You're going to hear a lot of dinging, ringing and see things happen to your baby. When that happens look at me. If I don't look nervous, you shouldn't be either." I can say during this experience, we looked at our nurses a lot.
Then, I finally got over to see my baby and the lessons had to start all over again with me. Kathy walked me through what all the monitors were for, what the colors on the screens meant (I think I had to ask almost every time I was in there for the first three weeks, and she always acted like it was the first time - which I appreciated). She was the first one to show me how to do everything with A: diapers, temperatures, kangaroo care, everything that seemed amazingly terrifying, but not if you looked at Kathy- it was all business as usual. She was the exact type of teacher I needed for this experience, and I consider myself, and my family, blessed that she was our first, our primary, for A.
Kathy also got to know us quite well. She knew that we needed to laugh, and told us it was okay to do so, even in the room - that it didn't need to be, and it wasn't because A was doing great. She made A's room cozy and comfortable for us - it wasn't a library or a church or even a hospital - it was A's room. And just like we would be at home, we wanted her to be surrounded by laughter, calming touch and positive words - all of which Kathy did above and beyond what I would assume her "job" was. Kathy was calming, funny, professional, she was our decoder for this confusing, unplanned madness we got thrown into. I can't imagine getting through for first few weeks without her kind words, explanations and hugs.