Mckenzie Oliver
August 2025
Mckenzie
Oliver
,
BSN, RN
NICU
Providence St. Vincent
Portland
,
OR
United States
She showed compassion to our child and talked to us about "NICU-itis" and told us good spots to go eat and take a break, and we knew we could because she was with her.
Our daughter was born 33 weeks and six days premature, and it was not the grand entrance we expected, nor the place we had planned to deliver, where we knew nobody. The NICU was full of babies, and for two weeks, we were in the overflow area without a private room, learning to bond for the first time with our baby. McKenzie helped us with numerous questions about breastfeeding and bottle feeding over several days. She showed compassion to our child and talked to us about "NICU-itis" and told us good spots to go eat and take a break, and we knew we could because she was with her.
In times when we would make a comment, talking to our daughter, she would reassure us that we were doing a great job, and that really helped me be easier on myself. Later, when we got a room, she even came to visit our child and see her without her feeding tube. I would always recommend her to anyone!
***
No parent plans to go to the NICU, and just like most other parents, we had no idea what to expect when we found out we would be bringing our 6-week premature daughter there. With all the emotions, questions, stress, and anxiety of the unknown, naturally, our lives took another spin. Mckenzie was stationed in our zone to watch over our daughter for numerous days. We felt more than just a nurse's presence with her. She saw our struggle, as I am sure she sees with many NICU parents. She jumped into action, being a mentor, caretaker for both our daughter and us, and a friend who genuinely cared for us as a family and recognized our struggle. She was so gentle with our daughter and took the time to explain what she was doing and why it is totally normal for our journey to getting our daughter home healthy.
When we moved from the overflow area of the NICU to our own more private room, she made a point to come check in on us and our daughter's progress. She was not assigned to watch over our room, but rather came to check in with us on a personal level. She was excited to share the accomplishments we had seen since being with her in the overflow area. When we found out our discharge date was the following day and shared the news with her, she expressed genuine excitement with us about our journey home to begin. Our story would not have been such a happy memory if it were not for McKenzie reassuring us that our daughter was crushing her goals and surpassing the expectations of everyone on our care team. Nursing and the medical field have a lot to do with care plans, procedures, and technology to help get better, but we now see how the right caregiver with a genuine desire to help families makes going through something like we did a positive experience and helps heal just as much as procedures and medicine. The nursing community and the families it serves are fortunate to have McKenzie, and we are grateful that she was part of our journey.
In times when we would make a comment, talking to our daughter, she would reassure us that we were doing a great job, and that really helped me be easier on myself. Later, when we got a room, she even came to visit our child and see her without her feeding tube. I would always recommend her to anyone!
***
No parent plans to go to the NICU, and just like most other parents, we had no idea what to expect when we found out we would be bringing our 6-week premature daughter there. With all the emotions, questions, stress, and anxiety of the unknown, naturally, our lives took another spin. Mckenzie was stationed in our zone to watch over our daughter for numerous days. We felt more than just a nurse's presence with her. She saw our struggle, as I am sure she sees with many NICU parents. She jumped into action, being a mentor, caretaker for both our daughter and us, and a friend who genuinely cared for us as a family and recognized our struggle. She was so gentle with our daughter and took the time to explain what she was doing and why it is totally normal for our journey to getting our daughter home healthy.
When we moved from the overflow area of the NICU to our own more private room, she made a point to come check in on us and our daughter's progress. She was not assigned to watch over our room, but rather came to check in with us on a personal level. She was excited to share the accomplishments we had seen since being with her in the overflow area. When we found out our discharge date was the following day and shared the news with her, she expressed genuine excitement with us about our journey home to begin. Our story would not have been such a happy memory if it were not for McKenzie reassuring us that our daughter was crushing her goals and surpassing the expectations of everyone on our care team. Nursing and the medical field have a lot to do with care plans, procedures, and technology to help get better, but we now see how the right caregiver with a genuine desire to help families makes going through something like we did a positive experience and helps heal just as much as procedures and medicine. The nursing community and the families it serves are fortunate to have McKenzie, and we are grateful that she was part of our journey.