Krista Nelson, BSN, RN, ELBW-C

After giving birth at 38 weeks 5 days to an 8-pound baby boy, we were transferred via life-flight from SSM Hospital in Jefferson City to Cardinal Glennon Children's Hospital, only hours after delivery, due to our baby struggling with respiratory distress. The first several hours at Cardinal Glennon were full of emotion and confusion as we had very little knowledge or understanding of how our full-term baby could be struggling to breathe. We were blessed with Krista as our nurse the following morning, and the amount of knowledge and support she gave us is indescribable. We asked a million questions, and she answered our concerns with reassurance and positivity. Krista was our nurse for several days in a row, during the timeframe we were struggling to understand everything, but she never let us doubt that we would get through this and would take a healthy baby home. She was 10 steps ahead of every situation that arose and took the extra time to educate us on what was happening and why. Krista never made us feel like we were asking too many questions and made sure we were taking care of ourselves during our 2-week stay. Krista made those difficult first several days in the NICU a little less overwhelming, and we are forever grateful that our paths crossed in such a difficult time.