I gave birth to my first child at Oviedo Medical Center and recently learned about the DAISY Award. Even though nearly 7 months have passed since my stay at OMC, I wanted to recognize one labor and delivery nurse who especially contributed to our positive experience: Katie Lavender. Katie worked 2 shifts during our son's first hours of life, so my husband and I had plenty of opportunities to observe her hard work, attention to detail, and patience with first-time parents.
There was one particular incident that inspired me to write this nomination. Katie's first shift with us began when our son was about 3 hours old. She mentioned to us that, if he happened to choke, we should immediately grab the call phone and get straight to the point with "My baby is choking!" I'm not sure whether it is standard practice to point this out to parents, and it may seem like the obvious response, but being anxious and tired, we appreciated as much information as possible.
On the first night of our son's life, we were enjoying our welcome dinner and admiring him in the bassinet as he made sweet cooing sounds. But then he stopped cooing, and I noticed his eyes were open very wide. We realized that he was indeed choking, then followed the instructions Katie had given us earlier. She and another nurse sprinted into our room. Katie picked up our son and promptly cleared his airway. We were shaken but so relieved by their quick and professional response.
There was one other example of Katie going above and beyond that has stuck with me many months later. She noticed that our son has a sacral dimple and ordered an ultrasound to confirm that there were no larger issues as a result of that. I'm not sure when we would have even noticed the dimple, let alone known what it was called and that it merited additional scrutiny.
Katie's foresight, attentiveness, and competence made the most meaningful difference possible in my son's care - I genuinely believe that she saved my son's life. I am forever grateful for her.