Going into the shift each night in labor and delivery, you never know what type of patient or situation you will walk into. On this Sunday evening, I walked into the locker room to find an energetic Sarah, excited and optimistic for the shift, telling everyone how we will get through the night together! After looking at the assignment sheet, Sarah and I found ourselves with our colleague on our High-risk unit, where very sick moms who need special care are. Sarah received the assignment of a critically ill mom. She had delivered at 23 weeks due to HELLP, then had to go to the SICCU, and when Sarah had gotten her, she had just come out of DIC with blood pressures around 190/100. Sarah was extremely diligent in getting the team to address the patient’s critically ill state. And she responded promptly when an RRT was called on the mom. After the RRT, Sarah took the patient to 5A where they have better resources for patients so critically ill. Before the transfer, Sarah had hoped to be able to take the mom to see her critically ill baby in the NICU. However, due to the severity of both patient’s medical state, they could not take the mom up to the NICU. This mom had delivered five days ago and had not gotten the chance to see or touch her baby She was being wheeled across the hospital. So, Sarah made a promise. She said, “I’ll get you when you’re stable and take you to see your baby.” And that’s what Sarah did after a long 12-hour shift where she helped deliver one baby, and helped many other nurses with their patients, she walked a wheelchair to 5A, made sure the mom was stable, took responsibility of care over her, and wheeled the young, sick mom to see her very young and sick baby for the very first time. In addition to doing this incredibly selfless and caring act, Sarah is a pillar on our unit. She is always willing to go the extra mile, learning new positioning techniques and helping anyone who needs it all while being positive and an amazing nurse.          

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You never know what you’re going to walk into on Labor and Delivery, your patient could be a first-time mom having a baby, a postpartum mom on magnesium, or a mom with a demise. Labor and Delivery has the highest highs and the lowest lows. Walking into the locker room on Sunday, after an already intense weekend on the unit, everyone heard that the board was full, and it would be a long night. Sarah immediately jumped up and started getting excited, encouraging each of us that we would get through the night together and deliver loads of babies!! Her enthusiasm and energy were contagious, putting everyone in a great mood. Then I found out I got to be with Sarah on high-risk! I was excited. Sarah got the assignment of a postpartum magnesium mom being transferred to postpartum, and a mom who was extremely sick. This mom had HELLP and was emergently delivered at 23 weeks, she was then transferred to the SICCU and to us. This mom was still very ill, Sarah got her after she came out of DIC, pressures in the 190/110s, renal failure, and overall sicker than the patients we take care of. Sarah powered through, expertly advocating for her patient to receive a higher level of care, and then eventually had an RRT called on her. After the team stabilized her enough for transport, they started to take her to 5A, a unit equipped for her type of ailments. The mom immediately broke down in tears. She needed to see her baby, who was born so prematurely. The mom had only seen the baby at delivery five days prior. With mom so sick and baby sick as well, mom needed to stabilize and have a nurse escort to see baby. Sarah, without hesitation, made a promise that she would take the mom once stable to the NICU. And that’s what Sarah did after a 12-hour shift, helping deliver a baby and working on 3 out of our 5 units to ensure everyone had the help they needed. Sarah took a wheelchair and set off for 5A. She then took mom to see her fragile 23-week-old baby. No one knew in that moment Sarah changed a woman’s life.  Later that day, the baby passed away. Sarah is the only reason the mom got to have a moment with her baby alive. Sarah is an incredible nurse, always willing to lend a hand, ask a question, and seek more knowledge to bring back to the unit. She is the type of nurse I want to be as I grow in my career. I had already nominated Sarah, but once I learned that the baby passed shortly after Sarah took the mother to see her, I knew I had to add that to my nomination. It was truly a selfless act that gave so much love to a sick young mom.