I have worked in healthcare for over 30 years and never did I think that anything would ever come in the way of me not being present when my daughter delivered our first grandchild. Then, came COVID-19.
I am the type of grandmother who wanted to be present for everything, for as much, and as long, as my family wanted me to. I attended every ultrasound my daughter received, along with her husband and went to every doctor's appointment. Because my background is in Women's Health, we joked that there were certain things they needed to remember and certain things I would remember, since I was going to be there when she delivered. We shared so many details of how she wanted her birth, details that I knew I could help her with because I have wanted this for her from the second I found out I was having a girl. I had been planning my "support person" role my entire career, as I watched others and learned from them, watched other nurses and learned from them, and listening to what other mothers, my patients, dreamed for in the perfect labor support person. From the moment my daughter and son-in-law announced they were pregnant, I thought my dream that I have been playing in my head for 27 years, was about to become a reality.
My daughter and son-in-law were at my house when she broke her water. They had been staying with us in case my daughter went into labor while my son-in-law was at work since my daughter's job was changed to working from home with the new COVID restrictions. I jumped in the shower so that I could be ready to meet our new granddaughter, however, that was going to be. The visitor restrictions were two days old, so I wasn't sure what would happen, but I wanted to be ready. When I went downstairs afterward, I saw my daughter and son-in-law's cord blood collection kit. They had forgotten it. Knowing that it was useless unless it was there for the actual birth, I jumped in the car and headed to the hospital.
When I got there, I was informed that I could not stay with them for the birth. I had suspected as such, but it still felt like a pain I can't describe when I heard the words. My moment that I had planned for and dreamed about for my daughter's entire life, was being taken away from me due to a virus. I understood and know why, but I felt so helpless since the words throughout her pregnancy were "don't worry about this or that, I'll be there and do that for you". She wasn't prepared for me not being there. She and my son-in-law were so upset when they got the word and became scared of their upcoming experience and sad for me for not getting to fulfill my dream.
Then came Jenna Townsend, my answer to our crisis. She assumed care of my daughter when she arrived to Labor and Delivery. She sat down, next to my daughter, and held her hand. She listened as my daughter and son-in-law shared the guilt they felt at not sharing this moment with their new baby's grandmother, felt the fear of not knowing how to go through labor without the support person they had planned on to be there to support both of them, and how sad they felt not being able to share this moment they had planned on sharing since my daughter could remember. Jenna told them that they were stronger than they knew, braver than they thought and that she would step in and do some of the things we had planned on me doing. She rallied them into believing the truth, that it was going to be OK, that I would be OK and that the day would be about making new memories by replacing the old ones with special moments that could only come from altering the playbook and swinging at the curveball.
As labor progressed, Jenna assisted my daughter with getting her epidural, calming her fears and giving her reassurance that the delivery was still going to be ultra special. When my daughter started pushing, I got to join by way of my cell phone. I got to scream encouragement to her, tell both her and my son-in-law that they were doing a great job and hear my granddaughter's first cry. Jenna took pictures for my daughter to send to me of her weight, her first diaper, and of the brand new happy family. Jenna stepped in for me with such heavy expectations on her shoulders, such fear and disappointment in the room, and hit a homerun! She expertly took care of my daughter's physical needs as a well-seasoned LDR nurse. She went over-and-above for her while taking care of my daughter and son-in-law's emotional needs and she passed along what would have been my first hug to my granddaughter, all while keeping a huge smile on her face and such a strong sense of calm in her care. Jenna is an incredible nurse. I know this because I've seen it the many times I've worked with her. But on that night, she became an Extraordinary Nurse to our entire family, a true DAISY Nurse. She emulated what it means to be compassionate, empathetic, caring and extraordinarily skilled at being a nurse. She used every trick in the book and then made up more as she went along. She walked into a room that was filled with fear of the unknown, the disappointment of not getting the dream, anger at a situation that isn't anyone's fault and turned the whole experience around to allow for the joy and happiness of birthing a new life to become the forefront of what all of us were supposed to be feeling. She helped us find new memories and helped all of us feel a sense of peace over what we could not control. She had a huge job that night, and Jenna far exceeded what we could have wished for. I am still in disbelief as I relive what Jenna did in a mere 12 hours, because not only did she help heal my daughter's pain, but she helped heal my son-in-law's and mine, as well. COVID may have robbed me of my dream, but Jenna stepped into my story and gave me an incredibly happy ending. She is an incredible asset to Christiana Care, an advocate for her patients, an extraordinary nurse every shift she works and now, a DAISY Nurse for her incredible care, not only that night but for the many times I will look into my granddaughter's eyes and be thankful that Jenna was there when I could not be. That night, Jenna became our DAISY. She became our hero.