Tricia Harris
April 2022
Tricia
Harris
,
RN
Labor & Delivery
Kaiser Permanente Santa Rosa Medical Center
Santa rosa
,
CA
United States
Tricia consistently stood by me throughout this process and repeatedly checked in on me to see how I was doing.
My wife K gave birth to her second daughter. While the delivery itself went smoothly, the post-delivery was very complicated. My wife ended up needing to be transferred to the operating room to receive a blood transfusion and to stop the excessive amount of bleeding she was experiencing. As we understand it, she lost 2500 ML of blood, and although never used, an MTP was called in. Prior to being transferred to the OR, we were still in the labor and delivery room, meaning I was watching all of this take place. I watched as nurses, doctors, midwives, and many other medical professionals worked their magic. I watched on as a doctor was physically trying to close down K’s uterus, repair tears, and deliver the ruptured placenta. I watched as a giant plastic bag filled with her blood. I found myself in a very dissociated state as I was in shock and fear of what was going on with K, and simultaneously elated and in love, having just welcomed our daughter into the world.
Tricia consistently stood by me throughout this process and repeatedly checked in on me to see how I was doing. Unprompted, she brought me apple juice and asked if I needed any food once K was transferred to the OR. On multiple occasions, Tricia explained what was going on in a way that I could understand. She expressed confidence in the medical team and was almost calm during the period, which, in turn, helped me to remain calm. Tricia kept my focus on my new daughter when, in my head, all I could ask myself was whether or not my daughters were going to lose their mother that night and whether I was going to lose my wife.
Once transferred to the OR, Tricia still came back to provide the updates and a summary of what happened. I believe she knew that I would have questions, so she provided the information upfront. And what was the scariest night of my life, Tricia somehow managed to keep me from going into crisis mode. She was caring, compassionate, knowledgeable, and very quickly understood what I needed from her without me even saying it. Once in the recovery room, Tricia offered to come visit us in the postpartum room the following day in case we had questions, knowing we were processing a lot. I will be forever grateful for Tricia and how she helped me get through that night. I hope she can be recognized for her incredible effort, empathy, and care.
Tricia consistently stood by me throughout this process and repeatedly checked in on me to see how I was doing. Unprompted, she brought me apple juice and asked if I needed any food once K was transferred to the OR. On multiple occasions, Tricia explained what was going on in a way that I could understand. She expressed confidence in the medical team and was almost calm during the period, which, in turn, helped me to remain calm. Tricia kept my focus on my new daughter when, in my head, all I could ask myself was whether or not my daughters were going to lose their mother that night and whether I was going to lose my wife.
Once transferred to the OR, Tricia still came back to provide the updates and a summary of what happened. I believe she knew that I would have questions, so she provided the information upfront. And what was the scariest night of my life, Tricia somehow managed to keep me from going into crisis mode. She was caring, compassionate, knowledgeable, and very quickly understood what I needed from her without me even saying it. Once in the recovery room, Tricia offered to come visit us in the postpartum room the following day in case we had questions, knowing we were processing a lot. I will be forever grateful for Tricia and how she helped me get through that night. I hope she can be recognized for her incredible effort, empathy, and care.