March 2020
Natalie
Mitchell
,
RN, BSN
Intensive Care Unit
Naval Hospital Jacksonville
Jacksonville
,
FL
United States
A postpartum patient was admitted to the ICU after a postpartum hemorrhage that ultimately required a hysterectomy and transfusion of multiple blood products. The patient was transferred from the OR to the ICU intubated. Overnight as she became more alert she used hand motions to convey that she wanted her baby. RN Mitchell actively advocated for the infant to visit her mother in the ICU. With RN Mitchell's support, the patient was able to do skin-to-skin in the ICU in the first 18 hours after delivery while still intubated, which was a tremendous benefit to the patient's physical and emotional well-being, as well as to the infant and the patient's family. RN Mitchell went above and beyond to provide exemplary care for this postpartum family.