Kelly was only my nurse for one day while I was here, but that one day really impacted me and how I emotionally handled some of the anxieties I had with being pregnant and taking certain medications and how I was feeling overall.
During my stay, I was suffering from some severe pain and I felt guilty for taking morphine while being pregnant and expressed this to Kelly. Instead of passing it off or just giving a basic "you gotta do what you gotta do" answer, she actually took a few minutes to talk to me and tell me how I shouldn't feel so guilty for taking care of myself even if it's with a medication such as morphine, since pain and stress and all the things that come along with those symptoms are not good for me, and therefore, aren't good for the babies. She reaffirmed that in order for the babies to be okay and healthy as can be is if I'm okay and as healthy as I can be. At one point, I had been trying to not take morphine so as long as I could manage the pain I was in, and decided to try and walk it off a bit around the hallway. I struggled pretty badly, and when Kelly came to the nurse's desk she asked me how I was doing and said how great it was to see me up and walking. I told her it was very painful but that I was really trying to not take the pain meds, it just didn't seem like I was going to be able to make it much longer without them. She took the time to congratulate me for going as long as I had without them, and let me know that she could see how much I was trying to look out for my babies/pregnancy and that I had done a great job. She recommended I take the morphine before the pain got any worse, and after I returned to my room, she brought it to me and once again, had a really nice conversation with me and made me feel so much better about all of the decisions about pain management and how I treated all of the symptoms I was having.
Kelly really, honestly, made a lasting difference in how I will view tough choices I have to make that include a risk vs benefit dilemma, especially during the rest of this difficult pregnancy. It was so nice to have all my guilt and shame and all of these preconceived notions and worries I had about how it would look to be in the hospital asking for strong pain medicine while pregnant, be completely alleviated by the efforts and kind words of a nurse. I had previous experiences at other hospitals where I was made to feel so embarrassed. Honestly, I never thought I'd be able to get over these worries and fears about nurses and being in the hospital, and Kelly was definitely a big reason I was able to relax and let go of those negative feelings about myself along with all the negative past experiences that started most of those feelings years ago. I no longer have any of the same worries about nurses I'd developed from those past experiences, and I will finally be able to come in for care in the future with a much more open mind and I cannot thank Kelly enough for her compassion and the time she took to help me.