Leanna Basham
April 2024
Leanna
Basham
,
RN
Labor and Delivery
Monument Health Rapid City Hospital
Rapid City
,
SD
United States
As long as we are able to share positive stories, we will talk about the dedication, compassion, and love Leanna was able to give to us on that just another day of the week.
My wife had been planning the details of this birth since the beginning. It was a day we both looked forward to with as much excitement as we could. She realized some of the things she wanted to do in this process were going to be outside of the norm, and we've received pushback on it a few times.
The day of labor was not how she wanted or planned for, as complications were requiring undesirable results to occur before more could be done. Going into the hospital, we initially weren't assigned Nurse Leanna, but she asked to take over from another nurse and was able to get my wife her favorite room. As things weren't proceeding as planned, there really wasn't anything to note, but Leanna showed up frequently, and when my wife made certain requests, Leanna did push back respectfully. She may or may not have agreed with it, but she was very respectful and made my wife feel like she at least heard her.
As her stay progressed, my wife wasn't responding to the medicine, and discussions regarding options/complications began. This caused my wife to start crying, as this was the last thing she wanted. Both Leanna and other members of her care team stayed with my wife as she processed this news. However, the doctor came in and offered the relief she was looking for. Upon hearing this, Leanna and my wife continued to cry, but they were tears of joy. It felt like my wife's victory was her victory as well. My wife felt she was on a good path.
As the new doctor came in, she wasn't comfortable with the previous doctor's decisions. This once again crushed my wife and me, but Leanna was there holding my wife's hand. Leanna was trying her hardest, through tears of her own, to tell us that everything was going to be ok even though it wasn't what my wife wanted. We asked for a few things that may have been frivolous, but Leanna did them regardless, even though it was past her time on shift. She wanted to be with my wife throughout.
Once my wife was on the recovery side of things, Leanna visited us one last time, hours after her shift was done, to check on my wife. In my family, we have a tradition of sharing positive, heartwarming stories. For Leanna, it may have just been a day of the week, but for us, it was the worst, hardest, best, and happiest day of our lives. As long as we are able to share positive stories, we will talk about the dedication, compassion, and love Leanna was able to give to us on that just another day of the week.
The day of labor was not how she wanted or planned for, as complications were requiring undesirable results to occur before more could be done. Going into the hospital, we initially weren't assigned Nurse Leanna, but she asked to take over from another nurse and was able to get my wife her favorite room. As things weren't proceeding as planned, there really wasn't anything to note, but Leanna showed up frequently, and when my wife made certain requests, Leanna did push back respectfully. She may or may not have agreed with it, but she was very respectful and made my wife feel like she at least heard her.
As her stay progressed, my wife wasn't responding to the medicine, and discussions regarding options/complications began. This caused my wife to start crying, as this was the last thing she wanted. Both Leanna and other members of her care team stayed with my wife as she processed this news. However, the doctor came in and offered the relief she was looking for. Upon hearing this, Leanna and my wife continued to cry, but they were tears of joy. It felt like my wife's victory was her victory as well. My wife felt she was on a good path.
As the new doctor came in, she wasn't comfortable with the previous doctor's decisions. This once again crushed my wife and me, but Leanna was there holding my wife's hand. Leanna was trying her hardest, through tears of her own, to tell us that everything was going to be ok even though it wasn't what my wife wanted. We asked for a few things that may have been frivolous, but Leanna did them regardless, even though it was past her time on shift. She wanted to be with my wife throughout.
Once my wife was on the recovery side of things, Leanna visited us one last time, hours after her shift was done, to check on my wife. In my family, we have a tradition of sharing positive, heartwarming stories. For Leanna, it may have just been a day of the week, but for us, it was the worst, hardest, best, and happiest day of our lives. As long as we are able to share positive stories, we will talk about the dedication, compassion, and love Leanna was able to give to us on that just another day of the week.