Melanie Mehle
October 2021
Melanie
Mehle
,
RN, BSN
NICU
Avista Adventist Hospital
LOUISVILLE
,
CO
United States
Melanie spent her shift explaining the why behind all her actions, made sure we felt included in decisions, and most importantly coached us through all of the tasks we as parents were able to take on as nonmedical professionals.
We are first-time parents adjusting to our NICU visits. Our daughter arrived 6 weeks early so she was admitted to the NICU for some additional support from the wonderful nursing team at Avista. The NICU is a hectic place at times and it's easy not to feel very useful. It is difficult to know when we are able to jump in or which questions to ask in order to become more involved. Melanie spent her shift explaining the why behind all her actions, made sure we felt included in decisions, and most importantly coached us through all of the tasks we as parents were able to take on as nonmedical professionals. After our first shift with Melanie, we were informed and empowered enough to jump in and take care of all the diapers, temp checks, bottle setups swaddling, and adjustment of her pulse O2 sensor to her opposite foot at each care time. Now we know what all of the sensors, wires, and tubes do and how to manage around them, around the crib it felt great to add the maximum amount of value to our daughter’s growth and development.