I just recently met this amazing nurse during my hospital stay at Tampa General Hospital. I was booked for a repeat Cesarean section and a bilateral tubal ligation at Tampa General Hospital on Monday morning. The surgery went ok with a few minor complications (vertical incision and blood pressure levels uncontrolled). Recovery was a breeze with the attentiveness of the nurses and doctors. I had my sweet baby girl in my arms and no amount of pain could sour the situation. We were then transferred to our room on the labor & delivery floor. This is where I met the BEST nurse in the world! I was instantly surprised by her bubbly personality and her level of attention to me and my newborn. She was immediately involved with my family and overall treated me with the utmost respect and importance. She made me feel safe and comfortable (in a hospital?!?!? With past traumatic events that occurred at a hospital!) I didn't feel like just another patient and I was sure she was going to be a good advocate for my medical care and that I could trust her.
About 3-4 hours after our arrival on the labor and delivery floor things took a turn for the worse. I was having heavy bleeding and the bleeding wasn't stopping. She immediately acted and knew exactly what to do, even in the hectic situation with the room filling up with other nurses. She was right there with me AND my terrified husband who sat by the window with our newborn in his hands. She was the one who identified the "rare" postpartum hemorrhage; it was her that told my husband to take the baby from me and hit the code button on the wall while she worked on stopping the bleeding. She asked a nurse who stood by in shock at the foot of my bed to call the doctor after 5 minutes of no blood and then a sudden 2nd burst of blood and clots. She was the one who looked over to my ghost-white husband and told him everything was going to be okay (which meant the world to him). She held my hand through the incredible amount of pain for 30 minutes of uterine massage and through the doctor doing a clot sweep. And she was the one who made sure I knew everything that was happening to me.
This incredible nurse is named Rachael and she saved my life, twice from PPH. From the moment I met her to the moment she hugged me goodbye I felt like she would be the one to keep me safe in that situation. I asked another nurse the night before my discharge and asked her when Rachael would be back for her next shift and she said she wasn't sure. Shift change came and here she comes in my room with a smile so big I could see it past her face mask in her eyes. Talk about an entrance! She was her happy, bubbly, sweet self and I immediately perked up. (I was alone for a day and a half without my husband or any family at that point due to hospital policy and the need for my husband to return to work.) She made my discharge a breeze and went above and beyond the job of a nurse to be here for me. I can guarantee she treats all her patients with the same level of care she did with me, and I honestly hope there are more Rachael's in the medical field. I think she should be honored and celebrated to the utmost degree! Thank you so much for everything Rachael! You really are an angel among us and I hope you get rewarded for being such an amazing person!