I wanted to share this story with you because it happened in real life and it involved two valuable nurses at L&D that I am very thankful for. I am a nurse here and in 2015, we were expecting a baby boy. It was my first time being pregnant I was excited to become a mom! On our 40th week, we went to triage due to contractions and we were greeted by MaryKay D'Avello. She and I went to BSN school together. I didn't realize she was working that night, but I was happy because she was a familiar face and it was an exciting moment knowing soon I get to meet my baby boy. I didn't realize that I was going to give her the hardest job that night. We did not hear a single heartbeat when she was trying to get me on the monitor. We were shocked. There was no way I could make any decisions or answer anything. And that's the best part about nursing and the nurses we had, they allowed us to be the patients, to go through the loss, not have to make any decisions right away.
MaryKay transitioned my care over to Jodi Denoyer from day shift. Jodi didn't have to but she bought food for my husband from the cafeteria. That was huge to me because I felt so helpless! They placed us in a delivery room that was isolated. I didn't hear any baby crying or mom screaming. We were able to find quiet time and rest. We were given remembrances, that up to now, I hold dearest to my heart. If it weren't for the staff, I would not have been able to take the time to breathe and deal with my emotions. It was the worst time of my life, but I will always be thankful for the nursing team who cared for us. I always remember the faces and I will always be thankful.
Fast forward to 2018, we gave birth to a healthy baby girl. I had Jodi and MaryKay again as our nurses. We are so lucky because we got the same team of nurses who got us through a stillbirth and then, we got to enjoy the beauty of giving birth to a beautiful baby girl. Her name means life in Greek and she's a happy baby!
They showed excellent patient care in the worst and best patient care situations presented to them. It was genuine care. As a nurse myself, I know what's genuine when I see it. I think the L&D team is blessed to have such great nurses.