We were admitted to TGH for the delivery of our first baby. She was born 3 weeks early and with a glucose level of less than 20. In the delivery room, there was talk of sending her to the NICU, but it was decided to try glucose first. She was given glucose twice in the delivery room before we were transferred out. Unfortunately, our baby was not feeding from the bottle or the breast well, and we were having to syringe feed her. Due to the difficulty of feeding, she had another low glucose reading with a 3rd dose of glucose administered. 

Our care was transferred into the hands of Liz for the night shift. During her shift, she taught us a trick to assist our baby with bottle feeding. This was a game-changer, and our baby began to become more alert. Throughout the night, Liz would wake us up to feed and would stay in the room the entire time to assist us with feeding, changing diapers, meds, etc.

During this time, she was incredibly encouraging, telling us how great we were doing, even though we were exhausted and had no clue how to care for a baby yet. This encouragement meant the world to us and was incredibly inspiring. We had to do a 4th glucose reading and, unfortunately, we were one point below the recommended amount, indicating a need for glucose to be administered again. If she were to receive glucose for a 4th time, our baby would have to be transferred to the NICU. 

Liz advocated for us to have a blood draw to get a more accurate glucose reading. The blood draw came back and was the exact number we needed to keep her out of the NICU! Liz stayed on shift with us and continued to encourage us throughout the night. The next morning, we were discharged, and our baby had gained an ounce! Putting her at 5lbs and 10oz. We 100% contribute this weight gain to Liz; without her, our baby would not have been as successful in the hospital. Overall, she decreased our length of stay, lifted our spirits, and improved the health of our baby. Huge thank you to Liz and her commitment to excellence as an RN.