Shelley Klein
October 2020
Shelley
Klein
,
BSN, RN
NICU
Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center
Throughout all this, Shelley not only would take such incredible care of the girls; she would challenge them and recommended doctors to please try different approaches with the girls that would work 100% of the time.
We went through a surrogacy pregnancy which didn't go well. We were expecting triplets which were born at 24 weeks 3 days. Unfortunately, our baby boy lost his life after 5 days in this world.
Not only were we dealing with a loss, the birth of extremely premature babies, but we were also Florida residents and California was a new place for us. All of a sudden we had to deal not only with our babies' situation but also with housing and employment. We didn't know where to start as life didn't agree with our plans.
In a period of 4 months at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, we have met AMAZING professionals and most incredible human beings - but there was a nurse who touched us more than anyone else. We had to deal with the loss of our boy; and in a period of 3 months; our twin girls had head bleeds, several lung collapses; a heart surgery; a hernia surgery; around 10 blood transfusion, brutal eye exams, and chronic lung disease. Throughout all this, Shelley not only would take such incredible care of the girls; she would challenge them and recommended doctors to please try different approaches with the girls that would work 100% of the time. She would let us "safely" hold them as most nurses would be scared to let us because they were too fragile, but she knew how critical it was for us to hold our baby girls.
The first month was tough and it seemed as if every visit brought news of something bad developing; but when she was there; she would say: "They'll be fine. We will get them through. Your girls are not like everyone else; they have you; they are special... Watch and see... " And we would watch... And see... How things were fine little by little.
I want to make sure everyone really understands that for parents who are new to things, the significant impact these words have on them. Thanks to those words, we were able to get sleep. Thanks to those words we were able to believe we were truly going to be okay and we were not going to lose another one of our babies. Not only was she a great nurse for our girls, but she was also a great partner to us. We honestly do not know how we would have made it through and we will FOREVER be grateful.
Not only were we dealing with a loss, the birth of extremely premature babies, but we were also Florida residents and California was a new place for us. All of a sudden we had to deal not only with our babies' situation but also with housing and employment. We didn't know where to start as life didn't agree with our plans.
In a period of 4 months at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, we have met AMAZING professionals and most incredible human beings - but there was a nurse who touched us more than anyone else. We had to deal with the loss of our boy; and in a period of 3 months; our twin girls had head bleeds, several lung collapses; a heart surgery; a hernia surgery; around 10 blood transfusion, brutal eye exams, and chronic lung disease. Throughout all this, Shelley not only would take such incredible care of the girls; she would challenge them and recommended doctors to please try different approaches with the girls that would work 100% of the time. She would let us "safely" hold them as most nurses would be scared to let us because they were too fragile, but she knew how critical it was for us to hold our baby girls.
The first month was tough and it seemed as if every visit brought news of something bad developing; but when she was there; she would say: "They'll be fine. We will get them through. Your girls are not like everyone else; they have you; they are special... Watch and see... " And we would watch... And see... How things were fine little by little.
I want to make sure everyone really understands that for parents who are new to things, the significant impact these words have on them. Thanks to those words, we were able to get sleep. Thanks to those words we were able to believe we were truly going to be okay and we were not going to lose another one of our babies. Not only was she a great nurse for our girls, but she was also a great partner to us. We honestly do not know how we would have made it through and we will FOREVER be grateful.