I cannot say enough how grateful I am for Meredith. I don't know if I can put my feelings into words, but I will try to explain why she made an impact. My baby had been in the PICU for a few weeks and I had only held him a couple of times and I hadn't changed any diapers or really had much hands-on experience with him. I handed him over to the nurses and let them be in charge. I was with him every day, but I wasn't taking care of him.
When Meredith was assigned to be his nurse, she came in and I told her I thought he needed a diaper change. She immediately told me to go ahead and change him. I was a little taken back and joked with her that I didn't have to do that anymore. She reminded me that he was my baby, and I could take care of him. It was kind of an awakening that he really was my baby, I was his mother, and I really could be responsible for taking care of him, even in his fragile state.
He had Meredith as his nurse many times after this and she came to be a dear friend. I could tell that she sincerely cared about my baby and would do whatever it took to get him healthy and back to normal. She always had a smile on her face and left her troubles at the door. She answered my questions with care and gave us so much encouragement as we prepared to leave the PICU. She was so knowledgeable and professional, and we are forever grateful that we can now call her our friend.