Tanzy Walker
December 2023
Tanzy
Walker
,
RN
High Risk Perinatal
Northside Hospital
Atlanta
,
GA
United States
After the birth of my son, I spent a long time crying to my husband about how I didn't get to say goodbye to the amazing nurses who became such a big part of my life, one of whom was Tanzy.
At 21 weeks pregnant, my water broke unexpectedly. I had never been a patient in a hospital before, much less a long-term patient, which is what I became very quickly. I was scared and overwhelmed at the thought of staying in the hospital for 10+ weeks. I wasn't sure of the type of connections I would make with the nurses until I met Tanzy.
From day 1, she made me feel heard, she advocated for me, and she never made me feel silly for the millions (truly millions) of questions I had. My son ended up deciding he wanted to come early, and I went into labor early one morning at 23 weeks. As you can imagine, I was very scared, but Tanzy calmed me down. As soon as she came into the room at 4 am, I felt calmer instantly. She was quick to confirm what was happening, quick to call the doctor, and quick to check on me over the next hour or so.
My birth was very traumatic, and unfortunately, I did not get the chance to say goodbye to Tanzy as my doctor made the call to roll me down to labor and delivery immediately while she was charting before her shift was up. After the birth of my son, I spent a long time crying to my husband about how I didn't get to say goodbye to the amazing nurses who became such a big part of my life, one of whom was Tanzy. She was there for me through some intense contractions and really the only peaceful/normal part of labor/birth that I can remember. Not getting to say goodbye really made me feel some type of way and bothered me so much.
The next night after my emergency c section I hear a knock on our door. We had moved rooms to a recovery floor. I opened the door, and there was a real-life angel that God sent me, and it was Tanzy. She told me, "I hope this is okay, but I saw you hadn't been discharged yet, and I had to find you to make sure you are okay!" When I say I can't even describe the level of peace that came over my body, I truly can't. She visited with me for a while and let me share my birth story with her, again making me feel heard. The next morning before we were discharged she came back to my room with a little present for my son and I and to say goodbye once more. It was so special. I am grateful to have met Tanzy. She is working in the exact field she needs to be in, and we feel so blessed to have had her as our nurse. Northside should feel honored to have her working for them!
From day 1, she made me feel heard, she advocated for me, and she never made me feel silly for the millions (truly millions) of questions I had. My son ended up deciding he wanted to come early, and I went into labor early one morning at 23 weeks. As you can imagine, I was very scared, but Tanzy calmed me down. As soon as she came into the room at 4 am, I felt calmer instantly. She was quick to confirm what was happening, quick to call the doctor, and quick to check on me over the next hour or so.
My birth was very traumatic, and unfortunately, I did not get the chance to say goodbye to Tanzy as my doctor made the call to roll me down to labor and delivery immediately while she was charting before her shift was up. After the birth of my son, I spent a long time crying to my husband about how I didn't get to say goodbye to the amazing nurses who became such a big part of my life, one of whom was Tanzy. She was there for me through some intense contractions and really the only peaceful/normal part of labor/birth that I can remember. Not getting to say goodbye really made me feel some type of way and bothered me so much.
The next night after my emergency c section I hear a knock on our door. We had moved rooms to a recovery floor. I opened the door, and there was a real-life angel that God sent me, and it was Tanzy. She told me, "I hope this is okay, but I saw you hadn't been discharged yet, and I had to find you to make sure you are okay!" When I say I can't even describe the level of peace that came over my body, I truly can't. She visited with me for a while and let me share my birth story with her, again making me feel heard. The next morning before we were discharged she came back to my room with a little present for my son and I and to say goodbye once more. It was so special. I am grateful to have met Tanzy. She is working in the exact field she needs to be in, and we feel so blessed to have had her as our nurse. Northside should feel honored to have her working for them!