Brandy Grueser
August 2024
Brandy
Grueser
,
BSN, RN, CBC
Special Care Nursery
Northside Hospital Cherokee
Canton
,
GA
United States
Brandy completely changed my experience and feelings towards my child. I was no longer afraid to hold her or feed her, but rather, I was empowered with new information and confidence.
I am writing to express my heartfelt gratitude for the outstanding care that nurse Brandy gave to not only my daughter who was in the Special Care Nursery for 2 months, but also for the care that she gave to me and my husband as we navigated the challenges of having a child in the Special Care Nursery.
My water broke at 29 weeks, and our daughter was born at 31 weeks. Upon being admitted to the Special Care Nursery, she was only 3 pounds 10 ounces and required intubation, a PICC line, and a feeding tube. Seeing our newborn with so many wires and tubes was terrifying. Holding her and then ultimately trying to feed her was even more frightening. I was riddled with anxiety every time I visited the hospital due to her having bradys and desats while I was in the room with her, or even holding her sometimes.
A few weeks into her stay, we had the pleasure of having Brandy as our baby's nurse. I chatted with her while I was getting ready to feed O, and everything was fine. After she was done feeding and snuggling, I put her back into her crib, and within 10 minutes, she vomited and had an event where she was choking. Brandy came in and calmly assessed the situation and took the appropriate action to ensure our daughter was safe and no longer needed assistance. Our newborn peacefully went back to sleep while I had an anxiety attack and cried in her room for a good 20 minutes. I’ve cried many times before in her room, and the nurses were all kind, but this time, it was different with Brandy.
The entire time I was crying, Brandy was talking me through it. The emotions, the hormones, the exhaustion- she reinforced that they’re all a part of this journey that we’re on and that she and the other medical staff are here to help our family, not just our daughter. I told her how anxious I was to even visit our newborn and almost dreaded my visits. She identified that I was borderline postpartum and helped me identify resources to help me. She also scheduled visits with lactation and OT to help my husband and I feel more comfortable being with and feeding our child.
Brandy completely changed my experience and feelings towards my child. I was no longer afraid to hold her or feed her, but rather, I was empowered with new information and confidence. Brandy didn’t have to help me; she could have given me space to cry and just told me it was normal and would be okay, but she went above and beyond to help me get the support I needed. Her tireless devotion and passion for helping not only my daughter but our family made me excited to see her every time I went to the hospital. If she wasn’t our daughter's nurse, I would seek her out just to tell her how thankful I was for her and how good we were all doing!
Brandy embodies all of the qualities that the DAISY Award represents and more. She exemplifies nursing excellence. She should be the model of nursing that students and other coworkers aspire to be like, as she is.
My water broke at 29 weeks, and our daughter was born at 31 weeks. Upon being admitted to the Special Care Nursery, she was only 3 pounds 10 ounces and required intubation, a PICC line, and a feeding tube. Seeing our newborn with so many wires and tubes was terrifying. Holding her and then ultimately trying to feed her was even more frightening. I was riddled with anxiety every time I visited the hospital due to her having bradys and desats while I was in the room with her, or even holding her sometimes.
A few weeks into her stay, we had the pleasure of having Brandy as our baby's nurse. I chatted with her while I was getting ready to feed O, and everything was fine. After she was done feeding and snuggling, I put her back into her crib, and within 10 minutes, she vomited and had an event where she was choking. Brandy came in and calmly assessed the situation and took the appropriate action to ensure our daughter was safe and no longer needed assistance. Our newborn peacefully went back to sleep while I had an anxiety attack and cried in her room for a good 20 minutes. I’ve cried many times before in her room, and the nurses were all kind, but this time, it was different with Brandy.
The entire time I was crying, Brandy was talking me through it. The emotions, the hormones, the exhaustion- she reinforced that they’re all a part of this journey that we’re on and that she and the other medical staff are here to help our family, not just our daughter. I told her how anxious I was to even visit our newborn and almost dreaded my visits. She identified that I was borderline postpartum and helped me identify resources to help me. She also scheduled visits with lactation and OT to help my husband and I feel more comfortable being with and feeding our child.
Brandy completely changed my experience and feelings towards my child. I was no longer afraid to hold her or feed her, but rather, I was empowered with new information and confidence. Brandy didn’t have to help me; she could have given me space to cry and just told me it was normal and would be okay, but she went above and beyond to help me get the support I needed. Her tireless devotion and passion for helping not only my daughter but our family made me excited to see her every time I went to the hospital. If she wasn’t our daughter's nurse, I would seek her out just to tell her how thankful I was for her and how good we were all doing!
Brandy embodies all of the qualities that the DAISY Award represents and more. She exemplifies nursing excellence. She should be the model of nursing that students and other coworkers aspire to be like, as she is.