Samantha J Johnson
April 2026
Samantha J
Johnson
,
RN
Family Birth Center
Mayo Clinic Health System Southwest Minnesota Mankato
Mankato
,
MN
United States
Samantha didn’t just give me the opportunity to breastfeed through her quick thoughtfulness; she gave me back an experience I had dreamt of for more than a decade. She gave me the gift of a piece of motherhood I had craved.
Samantha demonstrated deep empathy and compassion in her care for me.
After delivering my son, I experienced a severe postpartum hemorrhage and was in the ICU in a medically induced coma. While in the coma, I could sometimes hear or sense the people around me. I remember hearing Samantha talking to my husband about breastfeeding.
When I woke up, I learned that even after I had been transferred to the ICU, Samantha had wanted to do something to help me and recalled my desire to breastfeed my son. She knew that if no one intervened, by the time I would get a chance to breastfeed him, my body would no longer be able to.
Not only did Samantha pump my body to encourage my milk to come in, but she also saved the very first drops of colostrum I produced so that, no matter what my body could or couldn’t do when I woke up from my coma, I would at least have those precious few drops to use for milk jewelry or anything else I desired. The thoughtfulness and kindness of this was so deeply touching for me.
When I regained consciousness, I was able to breastfeed my baby. Having lost pieces of those first irreplaceable days with him, that bond through breastfeeding felt more precious than ever.
We had shared with Samantha that my husband and I had tried to achieve a pregnancy for 13 years. I didn’t know if I’d ever get to have the experience of giving birth to a child. Once I got pregnant, every piece of that process became more important and valuable to us than ever.
To have the severe hemorrhage, face the grief of nearly dying, lose precious time with my newborn son, and deal with the uncertainty and struggle of a long recovery after leaving the ICU was so traumatic. But to wake up to find myself able to breastfeed my son and go on to have a successful breastfeeding journey over the next several months has been such a healing gift.
Samantha didn’t just give me the opportunity to breastfeed through her quick thoughtfulness; she gave me back an experience I had dreamt of for more than a decade. She gave me the gift of a piece of motherhood I had craved.
Samantha went above and beyond — she thought of me long after I’d been transferred out of her care, she saw me as a person with a life and hopes and dreams that went beyond that hospital room, and she showed me incredible kindness and care.
After delivering my son, I experienced a severe postpartum hemorrhage and was in the ICU in a medically induced coma. While in the coma, I could sometimes hear or sense the people around me. I remember hearing Samantha talking to my husband about breastfeeding.
When I woke up, I learned that even after I had been transferred to the ICU, Samantha had wanted to do something to help me and recalled my desire to breastfeed my son. She knew that if no one intervened, by the time I would get a chance to breastfeed him, my body would no longer be able to.
Not only did Samantha pump my body to encourage my milk to come in, but she also saved the very first drops of colostrum I produced so that, no matter what my body could or couldn’t do when I woke up from my coma, I would at least have those precious few drops to use for milk jewelry or anything else I desired. The thoughtfulness and kindness of this was so deeply touching for me.
When I regained consciousness, I was able to breastfeed my baby. Having lost pieces of those first irreplaceable days with him, that bond through breastfeeding felt more precious than ever.
We had shared with Samantha that my husband and I had tried to achieve a pregnancy for 13 years. I didn’t know if I’d ever get to have the experience of giving birth to a child. Once I got pregnant, every piece of that process became more important and valuable to us than ever.
To have the severe hemorrhage, face the grief of nearly dying, lose precious time with my newborn son, and deal with the uncertainty and struggle of a long recovery after leaving the ICU was so traumatic. But to wake up to find myself able to breastfeed my son and go on to have a successful breastfeeding journey over the next several months has been such a healing gift.
Samantha didn’t just give me the opportunity to breastfeed through her quick thoughtfulness; she gave me back an experience I had dreamt of for more than a decade. She gave me the gift of a piece of motherhood I had craved.
Samantha went above and beyond — she thought of me long after I’d been transferred out of her care, she saw me as a person with a life and hopes and dreams that went beyond that hospital room, and she showed me incredible kindness and care.