Roxy was in the NICU and Level II nurseries for 67 days. We saw several nurses during those 67 days. There were some that we loved and others that automatically made my eyes roll. Some in between were just there.
There was the nurse that refused to let me hold Roxy. The other that didn’t want me to try to breastfeed. The ones that would crank Roxy’s oxygen back up just to make their life a little easier. The ones that were always aggravated when we called to check on our baby.
In the midst of all those, there was one who really made a difference to us.
Nurse Sherry immediately became our favorite. We typically saw her on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays.
Sherry pushed Roxy more than the others. She would spend the weekends weening down Roxy’s oxygen because she knew that Roxy was able. She transferred Roxy from an isolette to a heated bed. She advocated for the removal of Roxy’s IV when she was taking her food by mouth and her little head could not take one more needle stick. She answered questions and check-up phone calls with patience.
She knew that I needed to be close to my daughter and didn’t hesitate to let me hold her. She knew Russ needed to do Roxy’s care so he would be prepared when she came home and made him do it. She let me attempt to breastfeed Roxy and gave a few pointers. She made sure we knew hold to hold her, how to give her a pat when she would desat, how to give her a bath. She helped Russ learn to change a diaper. She always kept Roxy’s drawer full of fun onesies and sheet sets; she kept her decorated for each holiday.
Whenever Nurse Sherry was on duty, we felt like we could rest easy. There was never any doubt that she was on Roxy’s side.
Nurse Sherry got to be Roxy’s discharging nurse and she saw us off that last day in the Level II nursery. It was a bittersweet moment.
I don’t think she ever knew how much we appreciated everything she did for our baby and for us. For making the NICU an easier place to be and for taking awesome care of our baby girl when we couldn’t.