My wife and I have been trying to start a family since 2010. After about 1 1/2 years of trying, we were ecstatic when my wife found out she was pregnant around March of 2012. Her pregnancy went fantastic. We did all the typical pregnancy "things" - the pictures, showers, decorating, etc. All of our free time was spent getting our lives ready to welcome this baby boy into the world. On Tuesday November 20, 2012, we had one of our final checkup appointments (the baby was due December 1) and we heard his strong heartbeat. Very late on the night of Thanksgiving (11/22/12), my wife started feeling what she thought were contractions. After calling the hospital we were instructed to start timing them. By Friday morning (11/23/12), we started making our way to the hospital to meet our little man.
In triage, our nurse hooked my wife up to the ultrasound and said "he must be hiding" and went to go get the doctor. The doctor came in and told us the most heartbreaking and awful news an expecting couple can hear - your baby has no heartbeat. Neither of us remembers much of the rest of that day...that is, except for the care we received from our nurses. Nickie O'Rourke helped my wife through the delivery of our son, while encouraging us to dress him, take pictures with him, footprints, and more. She was so instrumental in being our rock on which we clung to on the worst day of our lives. At 7:00pm, Nickie told us that her shift was over and that Tina Raab would be taking over for her.
Tina was amazing. She was so kind and compassionate, giving nursing care far above and beyond simply giving my wife medication. At some point I had to walk to my car to get some clothes for my wife and I will never forget walking into the room and seeing Tina giving my wife the biggest hug imaginable. Later, my wife let me know that Tina had cried and talked with my wife while I was gone. She couldn't change or erase what happened, but Tina was there for my wife when no one else knew what to do/say.
We stayed in touch with Tina, as she wanted to know how we were doing from time to time. Because of the care and compassion that Tina showed my wife and me during the darkest day of our life, I was moved to transition from being an elementary school teacher to applying for nursing school. I studied at Johns Hopkins School of Nursing, graduated in the summer of 2015, and am currently working on the Heart and Kidney Unit at Children's National Medical Center in Washington DC.
Since we lost our son, we have attempted to get pregnant many times. We have since had two early miscarriages. That is, until the spring of 2015 when she showed me a positive pregnancy test. I was thrilled, albeit it nervous for what might happen. Being high-risk, she was monitored more frequently and it seemed like we had weekly visits to the OB or fetal health specialist for an ultrasound or test to ensure that our new baby boy was developing appropriately. All the while, Tina kept in contact and wanted to know the details of his upcoming birth. She supported my wife well beyond the hospital and any questions my wife had, she felt comfortable sending a message and asking Tina.
Because our son was stillborn at 38 weeks 6 days, my wife's OB wanted to induce her at 38 weeks even. She had mentioned this to Tina and Tina asked if she could be her primary nurse for delivery on Friday October 30, 2015. We were so excited to hear this and knew we were in amazing hands with her. Tina told us that she was teaching students until 3:00, but was willing to stay as late as we needed her until our baby was delivered safely. When we arrived at AAMC at 10:30, our first nurse, Kristin, was awesome; however, she couldn't compare to the care we received when Tina took over at 3:00. Tina stayed well past her scheduled time to take care of my wife and son. At one point, there were some decelerations in the heartbeat and I remember Tina saying "I will risk my life for this baby to be born healthy". That is not something that is typically said by an RN.
Our son was delivered healthy at 9:57pm on October 30, thanks in huge part to Tina Raab. Not only did she provide care with administering medication, but the physcosocial care was immeasurable and, I know deep down, kept my wife calm and relaxed in a very tense and nervous situation. Tina stayed until after 11:00pm that night (WAY past her time) to ensure we were ok and transferred to the mother-baby unit without any issues. She also visited us on Sunday when we were being discharged and has remained in contact with us.
Without hesitation, I fully recommend Tina Raab for the DAISY Award. She is an amazing nurse and a model of the care and commitment to patients that AAMC has!