I want to spotlight Marylin Ashcraft. She was so amazing and compassionate towards my daughter. She was the first nurse to make my daughter feel important and heard. So many of the nurses showed no sympathy towards my daughter and acted like her pain wasn't real. We finally got a CT, which showed an ileus, and the doctors were concerned there could actually be an obstruction or progress to one. My daughter was 3 weeks postpartum and trying to figure it all out as a single mom. She had been in a very unhealthy relationship that involved domestic abuse. We had finally gotten her away from her boyfriend. She was doing really well and feeling strong. She was living with her dad and I and had plenty of support and getting the help she needed. She was breastfeeding, which was very important to her and was truly blossoming as a new mom. Then all of this happened! She felt like she just kept getting knocked down. All she wanted was to be home with her daughter and take care of her. Multiple long visits to the ER then being sent home and told everything was fine was getting to her. Being admitted on her birthday was the icing on the cake. Her milk supply started to decrease because she wasn't able to eat and it was really stressing her out. Marilyn took the time to ask how she was feeling and listened. Most of all, she believed her pain and didn't act like she was a bother when she needed nausea medication or supplies to clean herself up. She brought us supplies to help with pumping and ice buckets to keep the pumped milk in. She also was the first person, besides me, to give her permission to not have to be perfect and helped her understand the stress that her body was going through and that none of this was her fault. She brought formula and sterile water to supplement feeds and convinced my daughter that it was ok. She wasn't failing her daughter by giving her formula. We also had to do a consultation over the phone with a lawyer regarding a restraining order and parenting plan. Luckily, Marilyn was our nurse that day. It was very stressful and emotional. Marilyn took the time to ask my daughter how she was holding up during all of this. Marilyn lifted her up by telling her how proud she was of her for being so brave to leave her boyfriend. She helped my daughter focus on all the positive things she had done and helped her feel like she was being a good mother when she felt like she was failing. I'm not sure she even realizes how much support she provided us. Of course, I had been trying to tell my daughter all the things Marilyn had told her, but coming from another person and not just her mom, really helped her believe it. That in itself, was a huge relief for me. And finally having a nurse that actually showed compassion and really cared about her patient was a God send. I got to breathe a little bit, and not be hypervigilant trying to advocate for my daughter. I was also the caregiver for the baby while at the hospital for 10 days. I was exhausted and sleeping on the fold out chair was not restful at all. So, the support and care from Marilyn was very much appreciated.