Martha is my new year's eve angel. After we were admitted with our daughter, we had the same nursing team for two and a half days, so I was nervous when they switched staff on us for the holiday. How are these new people going to know whether L is getting better or worse with having not seen her through the worst of her illness? Logically realizing that this is common practice because your nurses can't work 7-12 hour shifts all the time, but emotionally not prepared to have a stranger enter into our daughter's care when we have had such a great time with our other nurses. I could not have been more pleasantly surprised by Martha. She was so attentive and compassionate and just wonderful.
Our daughter lay there on the highest possible amount of flow for her tiny 8-week old body, and I was an emotional wreck. The view from our room was of Spain Wallace, the building where just 9 weeks earlier, while 39 weeks pregnant, I held my mother's hand as she passed in palliative care, just shy of meeting her first granddaughter. I felt compelled to share with Martha, I guess I wanted her to know the source of my tears. She offered me such kind words and support, I will never forget her.
I was so thankful Martha was our nurse yet again the following evening and got to escort us to the 5th floor. Without her, I don't know that I would have emotionally been able to hold myself together the previous evening. Since we left our room so late in the evening, I know someone needed it much more than we did at that point, and we were happy to leave. I know the next child they put in there was going to be in loving, intelligent, and attentive hands. Martha is a wonderful woman, and I am thankful to have known her and thankful for the care she not only provided my daughter but the care she extended to me as well.