I was a bit of a wreck when Cornelia was assigned to care for our baby boy. I had had twins, our boy was in NICU, and our girl was with me in Mother/Baby. I was a new mom who was having medical issues of my own and had been very sick. We had been sent to a transition room to keep our family together after I was stable enough for discharge. Our boy still was not eating as he should, he had a feeding tube, and we were getting desperate. I did not know what to do; I felt like a failure and felt alone in spite of a good support system. I had many NICU nurses, but Cornelia was a game-changer and a GOD send! She got through to me in a way no one else had. She normalized my feelings, built my confidence and ultimately ended up being able to teach me how to feed my little guy in a way that he responded to. Within 1.5 days of Cornelia being assigned to us, our boy came off his feeding tube. She was such a kind and patient teacher for us!
I am not sure where we would be or how much longer we would have been in NICU if it hadn't been for Cornelia's patience, kindness, evidence-based decision making, love for the babies that she cared for, and firm commitment to my success as a parent. My husband and I still talk about and practice things that Cornelia taught us. She will forever be a part of our story as new parents who entered parenthood under less than ideal circumstances. No one wants to be in NICU, but Cornelia's lessons for the care of our babies made the NICU stay a blessing.
Note: This is Cornelia's 2nd DAISY Award!