A new baby was born at just 23 weeks with a terminal diagnosis and would not survive very long after birth. After an eventful and stressful delivery, the baby was born breathing and with a heartbeat, however, due to the terminal diagnosis, the parents did not want to hold or see the baby as they knew it would be too much for them to bare. As I just happened to be in L&D doing nightly rounds, I noticed the charge nurse, Michelle, was holding the baby in her arms. As I approached, Michelle was soothing and compassionately snuggly this baby in a blanket; Michelle looked up at me and said, "I can't let this baby die alone". I could tell she was holding back tears as she told me this all the while holding and rocking the baby in her arms. Over the next 2 hours, Michelle continued to hold and rock the baby while answering the busy phones and managing unit issues. When this baby finally took its final breath, Michelle was still holding him and rocking him. The entire L&D team helped out, so Michelle was able to stay with the baby and still do her job.
As I reflect on the passing of this baby, I thought of many staff members here that have always gone above and beyond, taking the extra steps to foster human dignity, spirit, and emotions while treating conditions that bring people to our hospital. When taking that into consideration, I believe Michelle is a true DAISY Nurse. What she did went beyond showing compassion, love, and respect. She showed respect and dignity to the parents in following their wishes but also showed her compassion and love for what she does by holding this baby close to her heart, so he wouldn't die alone, all the time managing her unit and staff.