Stephanie Graczyk
February 2018
Stephanie
Graczyk
,
BSN, RN
Neonatal ICU
Spectrum Health Helen DeVos Children's Hospital
Grand Rapids
,
MI
United States
Our twins were born prematurely and unexpectedly in November. After an emergent and traumatic C-section, our son required CPR and was intubated at birth. Both twins were then immediately transferred to the NICU for care. Our first day meeting Stephanie was when she admitted our twins to the NICU after their delivery. We cannot express how Stephanie made a tremendous impact on our experience in the NICU, this left us with a lasting impression that we will never forget.
Despite recovering from surgery, being in pain, and being completely overwhelmed by the NICU, Stephanie greeted my husband and I with a warm smile and welcoming personality. She patiently and calmly updated us on our twins' condition and answered our endless questions.
Not only was Stephanie terrific with taking care of our newborn twins, but she also went above and beyond in meeting the needs of my husband and me, and my parents who visited on the day the twins were delivered. Stephanie made sure we all had chairs to sit in, offered us coffee and water to drink, offered us privacy, helped us hold the twins, and get set up for "kangaroo care". She patiently encouraged us to be actively involved in the twins' care, helped me initiate breastfeeding and pumping, and helped us learn how to become more independent with their care times. All of which meant the world to us as first-time parents.
We were so impressed with Stephanie that we asked her to be our "primary" nurse so that she could take care of our twins every time she was working. We came to slowly appreciate how exceptional Stephanie is as a nurse in the NICU, and we always looked forward to the days that Stephanie was scheduled with us. Every day that Stephanie was with us meant that our twins would receive compassionate care, that we would be greeted with a pleasant smile and attitude, that our needs would be met in addition to our twins' needs, our questions would be answered, and our long days spent in the NICU would go smoother.
We will never forget the 23 days that we spent in the NICU, and we will never forget the compassionate care that we received from Stephanie. From the bottom of our hearts, we cannot thank Stephanie enough for helping us through some of the hardest and longest days of our life.
Despite recovering from surgery, being in pain, and being completely overwhelmed by the NICU, Stephanie greeted my husband and I with a warm smile and welcoming personality. She patiently and calmly updated us on our twins' condition and answered our endless questions.
Not only was Stephanie terrific with taking care of our newborn twins, but she also went above and beyond in meeting the needs of my husband and me, and my parents who visited on the day the twins were delivered. Stephanie made sure we all had chairs to sit in, offered us coffee and water to drink, offered us privacy, helped us hold the twins, and get set up for "kangaroo care". She patiently encouraged us to be actively involved in the twins' care, helped me initiate breastfeeding and pumping, and helped us learn how to become more independent with their care times. All of which meant the world to us as first-time parents.
We were so impressed with Stephanie that we asked her to be our "primary" nurse so that she could take care of our twins every time she was working. We came to slowly appreciate how exceptional Stephanie is as a nurse in the NICU, and we always looked forward to the days that Stephanie was scheduled with us. Every day that Stephanie was with us meant that our twins would receive compassionate care, that we would be greeted with a pleasant smile and attitude, that our needs would be met in addition to our twins' needs, our questions would be answered, and our long days spent in the NICU would go smoother.
We will never forget the 23 days that we spent in the NICU, and we will never forget the compassionate care that we received from Stephanie. From the bottom of our hearts, we cannot thank Stephanie enough for helping us through some of the hardest and longest days of our life.