Every nurse and staff member who works on this floor is extraordinary. When the nominations are collected quarterly the New life center usually has half of the nominations. Below is just a sampling of the hundreds of nominations our New life Team gets every year.
I would like to take a moment and say how impressed we were with ALL of the nurses that cared for myself and my family while we were at Avista. We were shocked by the amount of skill and wealth of knowledge that each nurse possessed.
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She spoke "our language", reassured us when necessary and gave us a boost when needed. She had a genuine love for her job and us. A woman we didn't know, involved in one of the scariest and monumental days of our lives. She will forever be the amazingly kick butt nurse in the birth story of our son.
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She was there during my labor and was an angel! She went above and beyond to not only care for me during my labor but also my husband. The way she juggled everything was incredible. I am just so grateful for her during this special time. I will never forget her and am so blessed she is a part of our birth story.
After 20 hours of labor, I ended up needing an emergency C-section. I was very scared since I had only four previous vaginal deliveries, but my nurse helped to put my mind at ease during such an uncertain time. Upon waking in the recovery room, she was already there, holding my hand. She is truly one of the most exceptional nurses that I have ever had the pleasure of being cared for by.
She gave us an amazing experience and had a personal touch that made each step of the way as easy as can be. I cannot thank her and the staff at Avista enough.
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She was quirky and fun and I really enjoyed her company. Once it was time to push, she helped make the experience very relaxing and even enjoyable. We kept it slow and steady. I have bragged to everyone I know how wonderful my nurse was and how she made my entire labor/delivery the best it could be, and an experience I'm very happy with. I couldn't have asked for a better, more supportive nurse during such an intense event in my life.
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Our nurse from the NICU unit was great and I loved how she took very good care of our baby. She was gentle and very helpful.
She treated me like she knew me for a very long time. From the moment she met me at admitting we felt very comfortable and loved.
Throughout my 5+ week experience in the NICU (my twin girls were born at 33 weeks), I have witnessed nothing but kindness, compassion, and superb medical care for my girls and all of the other NICU babies. The staff, both days and nights, are truly excellent! Two nurses, in particular, have made this difficult journey so much easier for me and my husband.
Both nurses cared for the girls on a regular basis so I was lucky to get to know them a bit. One shared stories of her own kids and kept me laughing, keeping my spirits up on the days when I was overwhelmed with trying to balance NICU visits with parenting my toddler at home.
One was a sympathetic and kind listener who genuinely invested in our family at a time when her own life was crazy. Her humor and wisdom made my days better.
These two ladies and all of the nurses not only gave my girls exceptional care but also made such an emotional and hard time so much easier to bear.
Although I won't miss my daily sojourn to the NICU, I will genuinely miss all of the nurses.
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The entire NICU staff handling the care of our newborn daughter was very informative, helpful, compassionate, caring and very professional at all times. Nurses handling my baby's care never made me feel uncomfortable during the explanation process. When we arrived at the hospital the staff told us they couldn't find a heartbeat on the baby. So, they had to rush my wife into an emergency C-section. Nobody told me, as the husband, anything until a NICU nurse came out and gave me a complete review of the status of my baby's health as well as my wife's status. She was my hero of the whole process.
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When I arrived through the emergency room, I was in the midst of an unexpectedly quick labor and was very panicked and afraid because I knew I was close to delivery. The nurse calmly and quickly brought my husband and me into triage where she confirmed that I was fully dilated and ready to push. She could clearly sense my fear and stress. I asked her if I could still get any pain medication, and she calmly told me "you are ready to have this baby- you can do it, mama". I knew I was too late to get pain meds even before I asked, but instead of upsetting me and telling me no, she just encouraged me through the rest of my labor. She stayed by my side and kept repeating "you are strong, you can do this."
My baby was born less than 20 minutes after I arrived at the hospital, I don't think I would have had the courage to get through the intensity of the situation had my nurse and the rest of the team not been encouraging me. She truly turned a terrifying experience into a positive for me through her patience and encouragement.
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What stood out for me was the compassion my daughter's nurse displayed, especially when my daughter and unborn grandson's life was at risk. She assured us she would be by my daughter's side when they took her to the OR for an emergency C-section.
Not only was she calming to me, but also to my husband. When things got tough, at one point, my husband got a little upset, but my nurse stayed calm and loving. It was incredible. She is so confident in her role. It made us feel so safe and cared for. I really wish I could see her again, actually. She's the kind of professional relationship that you wish you could turn into friendship.
This is the second time we have had the pleasure of working with this nurse. It has been a couple of years, however, she was quick to recognize us and remember our little girl. As always, she has demonstrated compassion and expertise. Her knowledge and care are second to none.
She was there with me every step of the way through a long and difficult labor including close to 4 hours of pushing. She kept me going when I was ready to give up and it was her encouragement that gave me what I needed to get through those last few pushes to bring my son into the world.
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She made the birth of our son so special. She felt like a longtime friend. She consistently did more than asked of her by the department and me. We had her as our nurse for two shifts and were sad to go home and tell her goodbye.
She made me, my husband and my mother feel like we were the most important people at the hospital. She never showed any sign of fatigue and kept my spirits up with her positive, energetic attitude. She anticipated what I needed before I had to ask for it.