March 2024
Christine
Castillo
,
RN
OB Department
Uvalde Memorial Hospital
Uvalde
,
TX
United States

 

 

 

This nurse’s tone, body language, energy, and the way she presents herself as a person. The uncomfortable feeling automatically switched to comfort, acceptance, and even love.
I woke up randomly around six in the morning in a puddle of blood. I went to the restroom, and I was terrified because it was something I had never seen. I chose to go to Uvalde Memorial Hospital just because I also had a great experience having my son there last year. As soon as I got to OB and my nurse stepped in to assist me of course naturally I felt nervous and tense and embarrassed of my pain from how bad I was hurting. The warmth and energy and truly seeing how she cared changed my whole experience on how it started. Being in extreme pain, feeling embarrassed about bleeding and just my body being exposed and having to show that to a complete stranger you naturally feel uncomfortable. This nurse’s tone, body language, energy, and the way she presents herself as a person. The uncomfortable feeling automatically switched to comfort, acceptance, and even love. You can automatically tell she truly cares for her patients and cared for me as she did during that time I was there. I had the chance to see my baby and hold them only being 9 weeks old. Again, there’s a natural feeling of awkwardness that the body just feels, having this nurse by my side when I was holding my baby made me feel safe even though that moment is heartbreaking. I felt every piece of enjoyment there could be with that experience and communication with her, showing her and describing my baby’s toes and how small they were, just in awe I was of my baby. She constantly helped me change my pads, and I just allowed her to help me with how comfortable I was. I can’t express in words how comfortable I felt to allow her to see me and change me with no judgement. She made sure I ate, brought me a heating pad, and constantly made sure I had everything I needed or could have. Even though what I just spoke of is within her job criteria, it didn’t feel as if she was doing it because that was her job, and that is so important because the last thing you want to feel is someone being there because they have to or because at the of the day, they get paid. I automatically felt that she was there to truly help and to truly care for me and that I wasn’t just somebody she had to deal with because “that is her job.” I am so thankful I chose UMH, and I am grateful I had this nurse as the nurse to care for me.