Jaxon and his primary nurse on discharge day!
While our son was in the NICU, we had the opportunity to meet two wonderful people who helped our son thrive while he was there. I’m talking about his primary nurses. These people are a God send and I believe they are essential for your baby while they are in the NICU. Not to mention the support they provide the parents!
Not only do they provide hands on medical care for your baby but they can hold so many other roles. They can be a liaison between you and your baby’s doctors, your medical encyclopedia, another advocate for your baby, someone who can provide comfort when your baby has a bad day, and your baby’s Guardian Angel! Jaxon was lucky enough to have two of them during his NICU stay, and we are very grateful to both of them for all of the love and care they provided Jaxon, as well as all the support they provided my wife and I, through the good and bad days.
When Jax was first born and admitted to the NICU, our minds were racing about what had just happened and what the future would hold for Jax and our family. The first person we talked to was his admitting nurse, who would end up being his primary nurse at night. She was very good at explaining to us what was going on. She wouldn’t promise anything, but she would always assure us that our baby was in the best hands possible, and that with these babies, anything is possible. We always had a sigh of relief when we found out she was going to be caring for Jax at night.
Jax’s daytime primary nurse we met on just another regular day at the NICU. She was the nurse assigned to him that day. We just started talking about his journey to that point and what had being going on with us since he was in the hospital. We all clicked and at the end of our visit she asked us if we would like for her to be Jax’s primary nurse, and Thank God we said yes! She became the biggest advocate for Jaxon at the hospital. After just a little while, she was like an extension of my wife and I. She knew what we would want for him regarding his medical care and made sure other nurses and doctors knew as well. She believed in Jax and would always fight to convince doctors to advance his care if she thought he was ready. She would always work with him to make sure he was challenged everyday so that he could be that much closer to coming home. And during his, and our, toughest time in the NICU, she was as cool as a cucumber! While we were losing our minds, she didn’t let any of the serious issues Jax faced faze her (Well, she wasn’t fazed on the outside!). We truly cherish her and believe if it wasn’t for her, Jaxon would not be where he is today. We are forever grateful to her!
If you have a baby in the NICU, I strongly suggest you find a primary nurse for your baby. Find a nurse that you trust, a nurse you can confide in, and a nurse that will fight and be an advocate for your little one. Not only will they tremendously help the well-being of your baby, they will help your well-being also.