Our baby was born at Sentara Leigh Hospital, but shortly after birth, it had to be taken to CHKD for meconium aspiration and seizures. The traumatic birth severely affected mom, too, who had to receive significant care after hemorrhaging and dealing with all the effects that come with that. The silent and unexpected toll on our little family was largely mental, as the birth experience we had both envisioned was different than what we had expected. My wife and I received tremendous care at Sentara Leigh and were very hesitant about moving over to CHKD. How could it be matched? What if our nurses don’t understand our pain? What if they can’t explain things in a way that makes sense to a non-medical person? What if they only choose to “check the box” and don’t care to consider the human side of having a child in the NICU? Quickly after meeting Morgan, we realized these questions were going to be answered in only the best way possible.

In many professions, it’s easy to tell when someone is interested in only getting their job done and moving on to the next person. It’s even more apparent in a care-based role, such as a NICU nurse. Morgan is eager to please, quick to listen, and slow to speak. She radiates compassion and love. Providing excellent care to our baby was always the focus, but Morgan never hesitated to ensure that every need of the mom and dad was met. When we asked questions after rounds, Morgan balanced grace and truth in a way that made us feel immensely cared for. She backed up her words with demonstrable actions in caring for our little girl. It often felt like she read our mind — one day we asked about our baby’s skin that had started peeling, and Morgan said that she already spoken to another medical professional on staff about that and perfectly addressed our concerns. Another time, mom wanted to start breastfeeding, and Morgan had already been speaking with the Lactation Consultant that morning about availabilities in her schedule to come by our room. Morgan facilitated conversations with the social worker to ensure everyone in our family was able to see the baby, which was important since both families live out of state. She handled the personalities and encounters with our family with tact and love.

These are just a few examples of how Morgan made the most stressful time in our lives a little more bearable. There are people who go into a job and there are those who are called to a job — it’s obvious to us that Morgan was called and specifically placed into our life to care for our daughter. For that, we are forever grateful.