Our first child, B, was in the NICU for 3 weeks. This was a time of incredible stress and uncertainty for us as new parents. While B was in the NICU we felt very fortunate to encounter Annette O and have her work with B during multiple shifts.

Annette was an absolutely awesome teacher and provided a lot of one-on-one education during B’s stay and immediately before we were scheduled to bring her home for the first time. Annette was a huge advocate for our family. Her advocacy was a real asset during a particular period when our family felt frustrated with a perceived lack of communication from the physicians regarding B’s care and expectations for her while in the NICU. Annette made it clear through her actions, advocacy, and active listening that she was in B's corner and able to understand our issues and communicate them to the necessary staff in the NICU.

Ultimately, we believe that without Annette’s advocacy, education, and support B may not have received the same level of attention and would not have progressed toward discharge at the same pace. B is a thriving, curious, healthy baby today and Annette was a huge part of the foundation for B’s successful development.