My wife and I brought our 1st child into the world on Sunday at Henry Ford Macomb Hospital. Being that she came into the world about 1 1/2 months early...the decision was made overnight to transfer her to the NICU at Henry Ford Main Hospital in Detroit. This is of course news that no parents want to hear, and especially as first-time parents we were considerably apprehensive.
Our first interaction with Ashley was upon transport to the NICU as she was the nurse that rode in the ambulance to pick up our daughter. Later that evening when I went to the NICU to see our daughter, I met with Ashley as she updated me on the status of our daughter.
Throughout the next couple of weeks, we were fortunate enough to have Ashley as our daughter's nurse several times. Ashley always had a smile on her face and was extremely down to Earth. Speaking with her was easy and honestly put me at ease about the situation. She always explained everything, she asked questions, she answered our questions and really went above and beyond the job description.
I especially appreciated the care that she took with educating me about caring for an infant. She was patient with me and took the time to make sure that I felt comfortable with changing diapers, feeding, and even holding my daughter.
One memory that I'll hold onto forever was how excited Ashley was when our daughter no longer had some of the wires and lines and was able to wear actual clothes. She picked out a few outfit options for my wife and me to decide on.
Another amazing thing that Ashley did was take a few really awesome pictures of our girl when she turned 1 week old. Seriously...they are magazine quality! The even found some nice paper to 'frame' it on and wrote "I'm One Week Old" on it. This is something that my wife and I were so tickled to see and will cherish forever. It's certainly earned a spot in the baby book!
I can't speak highly enough of the entire staff of medical professionals -but there's something special about Ashley. Not only did she provide top-notch care for my daughter, but she cared for our family as well. Ashley has a way with those around her that can't be taught-it's just the way that she is. Having your newborn baby spend time in the NICU is not something that anyone wants to have happen (especially during a pandemic!) but our experience became one of positivity and we owe that to Ashely.