Our 3rd baby came 10 weeks early and had a 7 week NICU stay. We are now getting settled in at home. This was a very trying time for our family. Our son had many different nurses during his stay and a few of them really stood out. Cindy was the best! I can't even find the words adequate enough to describe her and the care she provided. She was willing to sign up as our baby's "primary" nurse. As a patient, having a primary nurse was the most helpful part of our stay. She knew our baby, knew his history, knew our family and it made a huge difference. The nights she worked I slept better.
Cindy provided consistent care and did far more than the bare minimum. We found that baths and bed changes were hard to come by in the NICU, but Cindy always ensured these things were taken care of. We loved using the NicView camera. We completely understand that's an "extra" thing and some nurses don't have the time to set it up. Cindy always had the camera on and made sure our baby was in view. As a therapist myself, I noticed that our baby's plan was not always followed by everyone. Cindy not only followed all the orders to a "T", but she explained why those recommendations were important.
We've never had a preemie before and Cindy spent a lot of time educating us as parents. She consistently went above and beyond in her duties, spending a lot of time with us. She even helped me with breast pumping when a lactation consultant wasn't available. Cindy was so attentive and caring. I truly believed my baby was her favorite baby on the unit. That's just her nature. I think she makes every baby her favorite. My husband and I cheered every night we knew she was working. She valued us as parents. She cared about our baby. She willingly worked with our baby's entire team of providers, following all orders and recommendations. She advocated for our baby because she knew his history. This helped us avoid unnecessary treatments. She did an incredible job educating the next nurse about our baby and his care. She not only did the primary duties of ensuring the health and safety of our son, but she did all the extra things to also keep him clean and comfortable. All of those things made our NICU stay so much better. Our experience would've been much different if Cindy hadn't volunteered to be our primary nurse. I can't fully express how valuable that is for parents, families, and most importantly, the patient. Thank you, Cindy! You'll forever have a place in our hearts!