Melanie Ponte
July 2016
Melanie
Ponte
,
BSN, RN, CLC, C-EFM
Labor & Birth
Yale - New Haven Hospital
New Haven
,
CT
United States
Melanie gives nothing but compassionate care. She spent the entire weekend in the MICU hand-expressing an intubated patient because the patient's only desire was to successfully be able to breastfeed her baby and supply the baby with colostrum. Hand expressing is very difficult, time-consuming, and nearly impossible when the patient is intubated and laying fairly flat on her back. Melanie made it her goal to express as much colostrum as possible every three hours and hand deliver the syringe to NBSCU for the infant.
***
Melanie became very invested in the both the patient and her family. She became very close to the family since her visits were every three hours for a four-day-weekend. The patient had no idea how much was done for both her and her baby because she was intubated and sedated. The family knew Melanie by name and felt comfortable asking questions. Melanie engaged the family members and the nursing staff on the MICU; it was the true definition of patient advocacy and continuum of care.
***
Melanie went outside the normal parameter of patient care. She made it her mission to do what was right for the patient and her baby. Had the patient not been hand expressed every three hours, she would not have made the appropriate milk supply since she was intubated and her infant was in the NBSCU. It is because of Melanie that the patient has a fighting chance in the successfulness of breastfeeding, and that the baby can benefit from the breastmilk his mother can supply him.
***
Melanie never once complained that she had to travel to the MICU every three hours and hand express for an hour and a half. She came back to the unit smiling after she made her colostrum delivery to NBSC. She had an immense amount of pride for what she was able to accomplish and was genuinely happy that she was able to follow through with the patient's wishes. There are some things that we can't control as nurses when it comes to the health of the patient and the outcomes that are achieved, but we can do our absolute best to follow through with all the things we could do, and that is exactly what Melanie did. She did what she could do with a terrible situation and tried to achieve the greatest outcome for both mom and baby. I am proud to call her my friend and co-worker.
***
Melanie became very invested in the both the patient and her family. She became very close to the family since her visits were every three hours for a four-day-weekend. The patient had no idea how much was done for both her and her baby because she was intubated and sedated. The family knew Melanie by name and felt comfortable asking questions. Melanie engaged the family members and the nursing staff on the MICU; it was the true definition of patient advocacy and continuum of care.
***
Melanie went outside the normal parameter of patient care. She made it her mission to do what was right for the patient and her baby. Had the patient not been hand expressed every three hours, she would not have made the appropriate milk supply since she was intubated and her infant was in the NBSCU. It is because of Melanie that the patient has a fighting chance in the successfulness of breastfeeding, and that the baby can benefit from the breastmilk his mother can supply him.
***
Melanie never once complained that she had to travel to the MICU every three hours and hand express for an hour and a half. She came back to the unit smiling after she made her colostrum delivery to NBSC. She had an immense amount of pride for what she was able to accomplish and was genuinely happy that she was able to follow through with the patient's wishes. There are some things that we can't control as nurses when it comes to the health of the patient and the outcomes that are achieved, but we can do our absolute best to follow through with all the things we could do, and that is exactly what Melanie did. She did what she could do with a terrible situation and tried to achieve the greatest outcome for both mom and baby. I am proud to call her my friend and co-worker.