Our daughter, G, was born at 35 weeks. We were prepared that a NICU team would be present at her birth as a precaution but we never dreamed our road home would be as it was. After our daughter was born we were comforted to see a familiar face, Sheila, taking her assessments. Our first daughters, twins, were also born at 35 weeks and Sheila was there to take care of them.
The first 24 hours of her life G was stable. We were hopeful that I would be able to hold her and even feed her a few drops of milk. As I was headed back to see our baby, milk in hand, excited to hold her for the first time, Sheila stopped me. She was on the phone but told me that G had taken a turn. G needed to be intubated and Sheila was working to get orders to place the tube. Sheila had noticed that G was not breathing well on her own and she acted very quickly to get the orders in place to help our baby. She also comforted me as I was devastated by the news. She explained what had happened and the next steps needed to help our daughter. I did not realize at the time but Sheila acted on her instincts, was aggressive in patient care, and saved our daughter's life. She saved our daughter's life, we will be forever grateful.
The following days blended together as a machine took breaths for G. We worried about every lab, x-ray, and vital. Shelia was there every step of the way to walk us through what seemed like a nightmare. She patiently talked us through each test and answered countless questions. She encouraged us with her answers and we were able to stay positive. Sheila was very honest and thorough, but she never let us know just how critical our daughter was. She was always positive and encouraging about G's outcome. It wasn't until much later that we realized just how sick our little girl was.
The following weeks Sheila learned G's likes and dislikes. She would position her or swaddle her a certain way to where she was most comfortable. Each night Sheila would mop the floor, untangle G's cords, and changed her linens. When G was in distress Sheila would let her taste a few drops of breastmilk instead of giving her pain medicine. G loved tasting milk and would be calmed by it. As a parent, we loved this approach as our daughter was not given unnecessary medicine. She would also call, no matter the time, and let us come up and hold her to try to calm her before giving her pain medicine.
We quickly realized that the hardest thing about having a baby in the NICU and children at home was balancing time between the hospital and home. We wanted to be in two places at once and began to feel guilty when we were in one place over the other. We were very fortunate to have the AngelEye camera for times when we were not at the hospital. We would frequently check on G when we were home. We began to recognize the hands of the nurses as they worked on and calmed our baby. We always felt peace when we would see Sheila's hands. Knowing that Sheila was caring for her made leaving each night easier. We knew that G was going to be closely monitored and taken care of as if she was her own. We learned her schedule and would look forward to the days in which she worked because we knew we would sleep better knowing G was in Sheila's care.
After being in the 2nd floor NICU for 16 days we graduated to the less critical 6th floor. It was a huge step in the right direction for G but we were devastated. We were leaving Sheila and the exceptional care that we received. Sheila knew that G liked to be on her back, she liked to have her hands by her face, and breastmilk calmed her. We cried over our loss of an amazing nurse. Even though she worked on the 2nd floor she would come up to the 6th floor each day she was working to check on our family. One night we checked in on the camera and saw that G was very upset. We felt guilty and sad that we weren't there to comfort her. After a few minutes, we saw a familiar hand come into view and calm our baby. Sheila was not assigned to our baby, she wasn't even on her floor, but she came up to check on her. We were so relieved to know that she was there. Sheila would follow her care and share with the nursing staff G's favorite things. She would talk with the doctors about the next steps for G and give her feedback. Sheila looked after our daughter even when she was not in her care. She took the time out of her busy shift to see our baby and ensure she was taken care of.
Exceptional care is not only about making sure the patient has their medication and feedings, but exceptional care is also about the small things. Sheila does the small things and more to ensure her patient is cared for and loved. It is not a "job" for her, it is a true calling and she is an exceptional nurse. She has made such an impact on our life. We will always be grateful for the care that she gave to G and our family.