December 2018
Terri
Pinter
,
RN
Mother Baby Unit
University of Texas Medical Branch-Galveston and Ambulatory Care
Galveston
,
TX
United States

 

 

 

Terri is a total package, remarkable professional, fantastic and compassionate human being. I have several examples to share, but I would like to share the recent one. She had a consultation with this new mom who had a preterm delivery due to a motor vehicle accident. As soon as Terri walked in, she felt this patient's emotional distress mainly because of her flat affect and her initial hesitation to interact with her. She took her time to review her history and found out that this patient was a victim of abuse and already suffering from PTSD. The patient didn't want to breastfeed, so having that permission not to breastfeed was a high priority for this patient. The baby was resuscitated and transferred to Galveston at that point where Mom had to stay at League City Campus. The vivid memory of being in that accident and having thoughts of her baby getting resuscitated must have triggered lots of her anxiety and past trauma. Having a person like Terri by her side and talking about her fears helped her a lot to overcome some of her worries. She took her time to go back in the room to give her the information about our therapy group and recommending that group therapy will also help that patient to change her way of thinking and cope with the current circumstances. Her timely interaction and holistic approach made an impact on that patient, and that's just one example of how she makes our moms feel special. Chances of this patient going through Perinatal Mood and Anxiety disorders are very high, considering her history and 24 -48 hours hospital stay is our chance to teach and empower. Terri's timely interaction not just helped the patient in that moment but also allows her to find strength in the future to reach out for help. The team loves her, and we always think our patients get the best care when she is around even though she exhausts herself being available for everyone and she does that with a huge smile. She is an asset to our mother-baby team!!