I had the pleasure of meeting Megan this week when she was taking care of a COVID-19 positive mother and I was taking care of her twin babies in the NICU. Because of how quickly and easily the virus spreads, when the babies were born, the momma was unable to see or hold them.
While caring for the babies, I called the mom's nurse to see if she would be willing to FaceTime with mom so she could see her babies. Thankfully, it was Megan who answered the phone and she happily agreed. Due to safety reasons, this mom gave birth alone. She brought her twin babies into the world alone. She was recovering in her room alone. She was separated from her babies. She had nobody to help her through this scary, unexpected time, and then in walks Megan. She was no longer alone.
Megan helped her see her babies for the first time. She came to the unit multiple times a day to show mom the babies' progress and helped ease some of her fear and anxiety. Although she couldn't be there physically, she was able to watch her daughter take her first bottle. She saw her son open his eyes for the first time. She got to see what her baby girl looked like without CPAP gear on her head. I truly believe Megan assisted in easing mom's fears and anxiety about being separated from her babies.
Nursing is more than starting IVs and managing a critical patient. Nursing takes heart, a lot of heart. Megan reminded me of that this week. Despite the fact that we are in the midst of a very scary, unknown time, it's still possible to be a kind and loving human. This mom will not remember too much about this time, but she will remember the nurse who went out of her way to let her see her babies for the first time.