"Knowing CPR saved my baby's life! I was able to do it because Suzette taught me." This is a quote from Baby W's mother. She had to perform CPR on her son in the home environment.
Suzette Ridgeway is a DAISY Nurse because of the extraordinary connection she made with Baby W and his parents throughout his NICU stay that enabled his parents to gain confidence in their ability to care for his complex needs at home. The result of this special relationship, when the time came, translated into the mother's ability to save her son's life.
Suzette, as a caregiver, not only helped this family prepare for the discharge of this high-risk preemie, going home with oxygen and monitors, but she also made a connection with this family early in their baby's NICU stay. Baby W was born at 25 weeks gestation weighing less than 2 pounds. Suzette signed up to be his primary caregiver. The parents regularly visited late in the evening when Suzette was caring for him. Early in Baby W's hospitalization, his parents would sit tentatively at the bedside and observe him distantly.
Suzette recognized their apprehension and helped them bridge the gap to take their own baby steps forward in their new role as parents of a high-risk preemie. She fostered parent/infant bonding despite the medical barricades of his fragile condition. Starting small, Suzette guided them to hold his hand and comfort him in a developmentally supportive way. She taught them to observe his cues and reassured them as they advanced to changing his diapers, supporting him during cares/procedures and eventually, giving him baths and feedings. Suzette was there even when they did skin to skin with him for the first time. She helped them see beyond all the medical equipment to see him as their son, with his common physical attributes as well as his uniqueness. Suzette helped Baby W's parents celebrate his successes but also comforted and reassured them through his setbacks.
As Baby W was approaching discharge, it was clear that he would require home oxygen and cardio-respiratory monitoring at home. With Suzette, the parent's opened up and verbalized their concerns and fears. Suzette addressed this with empathy and encouragement, spending time with them on the educational components to prepare them for discharge and address their son's unique needs. Part of the discharge preparation process was infant CPR training. Baby W's mother said, "Suzette took her time and had patience with us. She made sure we really knew what we were doing, having us go over it several times."
After discharge home, Baby W developed a significant upper respiratory infection that signaled his cardio-respiratory monitor to alarm that he was not breathing, and his heart rate was low. His mother did CPR on him until paramedics arrived and took over. His mother stated, "If it wasn't for Suzette thoroughly teaching us CPR, I would have never been able to save my son's life."
As nurses, we don't always know or are able to predict the impact that we make on the lives of our patient/families. For Baby W and his family, the exceptional difference was the extraordinary connection that they had with Suzette. In the discharge preparation and CPR training, the mother was able to truly absorb what she was taught because of her comfort level with Suzette. The extra time Suzette spent with the family empowered and truly prepared them to care for their son. This relationship resulted in a lifetime of difference for Baby W and his family.