Theresa Herbst
November 2021
Theresa
Herbst
,
RNC-NIC
NICU
Ascension Seton Medical Center Austin
Austin
,
TX
United States
One afternoon I left in tears. Theresa caught me and gave me a hug that made such a huge difference in my mindset.
Theresa was my family’s NICU nurse when we had twin daughters this summer (June 2021). I have been meaning to submit this since we were discharged! Theresa was truly such an amazing teacher and advocate during our month in the NICU. Our daughters A and I were born six weeks early and unexpectedly. They are now 5 months old and not a day goes by that I don’t think of Theresa and how grateful I am for her help during our stay. I felt that she really had the girls’ and our family’s best interests in mind the whole time. Here are some of the best examples:
Our family (grandma and grandpa) were in Australia. They could not travel to meet the girls in person because of COVID travel restrictions. They loved signing into the NICU cameras to check on the twins. It helped them get to know them and feel like they were part of the care process! One day the girls were chosen to move to an overflow unit without cameras. Theresa knew that our Australian family loved to watch on the cameras and made sure that the girls stayed in their assigned bay. It really meant a lot, not only to us, but to two very adoring grandparents.
Our daughter, I, had issues with low blood sugar and had a hard time stabilizing them. Theresa took the time to write special instructions to all of our nurses on how to feed I. The instructions were her idea and the NICU pediatrician complimented her on thinking of them. They helped ensure I was fed in a uniform way through all the different shifts. It really helped her and got us one step closer to discharge.
Leaving the girls was so hard each day. One afternoon I left in tears. Theresa caught me and gave me a hug that made such a huge difference in my mindset. Toward the end of her stay, I pulled her own feeding tube out. Instead of putting it back in immediately, Theresa let her have some time to try finishing bottles on her own. She knew I could do it and she did! That was really the key and helped us achieve the last step to getting discharged.
We got discharged on a day when Theresa was off. So, we didn't get to say thank you or bye to her. I wanted to thank her for everything she taught my husband and me. We were caught off guard by an early delivery and she helped us play catch up on learning how to care for our daughters.
Our family (grandma and grandpa) were in Australia. They could not travel to meet the girls in person because of COVID travel restrictions. They loved signing into the NICU cameras to check on the twins. It helped them get to know them and feel like they were part of the care process! One day the girls were chosen to move to an overflow unit without cameras. Theresa knew that our Australian family loved to watch on the cameras and made sure that the girls stayed in their assigned bay. It really meant a lot, not only to us, but to two very adoring grandparents.
Our daughter, I, had issues with low blood sugar and had a hard time stabilizing them. Theresa took the time to write special instructions to all of our nurses on how to feed I. The instructions were her idea and the NICU pediatrician complimented her on thinking of them. They helped ensure I was fed in a uniform way through all the different shifts. It really helped her and got us one step closer to discharge.
Leaving the girls was so hard each day. One afternoon I left in tears. Theresa caught me and gave me a hug that made such a huge difference in my mindset. Toward the end of her stay, I pulled her own feeding tube out. Instead of putting it back in immediately, Theresa let her have some time to try finishing bottles on her own. She knew I could do it and she did! That was really the key and helped us achieve the last step to getting discharged.
We got discharged on a day when Theresa was off. So, we didn't get to say thank you or bye to her. I wanted to thank her for everything she taught my husband and me. We were caught off guard by an early delivery and she helped us play catch up on learning how to care for our daughters.