When our son W was born, we knew he would be a small baby, and because of this, his delivery was moved up to 37 weeks via a scheduled c-section. This all went beautifully, and our baby boy was delivered without any complications. Unfortunately, after two short hours, we found out his blood sugar levels were critically low. He was then brought to the NICU to be monitored, and his journey there had officially begun.

We’re very fortunate that his stay was only five days, but those five days felt like five weeks. The first night and day were a blur with neither my husband nor myself getting more than a few minutes of sleep. We were hopeful this would still be a short stay. W ended up needing IV dextrose, and we realized that he likely wasn’t going to make it up to the mother/baby floor with us. This was a heartbreaking experience as, despite each intervention, his sugars continued to be too low. We were exhausted after being up for nearly two days when a new nurse came to take over for the evening, and this was Katie. She came in for the evening, greeting us with so much kindness and compassion. She talked with us about W’s plan of care, asked us what questions we had, and discussed what questions she had in mind to ask his care team during evening rounds. It was clear how skilled and knowledgeable she was and how much she cared about her patients and their families. W had always had a family member by his side during his stay, so we were hesitant to leave even for much-needed sleep, but Katie assured us she would be there to provide all the care that he needed, and we finally felt confident and safe leaving knowing he would be lovingly cared for.

W was fortunate enough to have Katie as his night nurse for the rest of his stay in the NICU. Each night, we would stay with him until after evening rounds, and Katie was his best advocate. She was thinking about new ideas and wondering what other interventions could be tried. She was thoughtful about the least invasive interventions and alternative options that would still provide W with high-quality, evidenced-based care while keeping his comfort in mind. With Katie’s strong advocacy, we were finally able to move from needing vials of blood for sugar checks to getting to do point-of-care testing. Throughout W’s stay, Katie continued to be actively involved in his care with such positive energy and enthusiasm. She would celebrate his victories with us and commiserate with the setbacks. Each morning, we would be sure to get back before Katie’s shift ended to hear the report on his evening because we trusted her opinions and assessments. We were so thankful to have her as his nurse each night and even luckier that when we were offered a late-night discharge as Katie was the nurse to see us off.

Katie exemplifies everything a nurse should be. She is the kind of nurse all patients deserve to have at their bedside. She is the kind of nurse all family members hope will be providing care to their loved ones. As a nurse myself, she is the kind of nurse I strive to be when working with patients in my community. At a time when health care is more difficult than ever, Katie is the kind of nurse who helps Maine Medical Center provide the highest quality of care all Mainers deserve.

Thank you, Katie!