Ericka volunteered to be my baby’s primary nurse the first day taking care of her. She listened to my concerns about always having a new nurse every shift and the pressure I felt as a mom to be there at shift change to communicate with the nurses. She was our primary nurse for the next 2.5 months that we were in the NICU. Ericka always made it a priority to call me with any care changes to ease my anxiety when I could not be there.

I think Ericka deserves a DAISY Award for her actions during our discharge. Ericka made it a priority weeks before discharge to transition my baby to safe sleep vs swaddling, etc., that’s allowed in the NICU. The week of discharge, Ericka did the hearing screen, heart test, and assigned us educational videos on Monday to make our Friday discharge smooth. I requested for my baby to have a bridled NGT before discharge. A bridled NGT is not common practice for the NICU, but Ericka advocated for my request. She was able to coordinate with the educator so she could learn the procedure to make sure it was done. She ordered all the supplies, watched educational videos, and completed the procedure all in the same day! She also advocated for us to be able to take our baby on a stroller ride outside for the first time in almost 4 months.

Due to Ericka’s care and compassion towards us, by the time we got there Friday morning, the discharge orders were already in, and our baby was ready to go. The longest part was me packing up her room. Ericka is truly a DAISY Nurse!