Our son was born at 36 weeks and when he arrived had problems feeding. It would take over an hour to give him a bottle and by day 3 he had lost 11.8% birth weight. On day 5 his jaundice level was well above the treatment line and he needed double phototherapy meaning he could only come off the lights for a short time for feeding. As a result, I felt like I was under a huge amount of pressure and that I couldn't feed him. Sharon came to help feed him a bottle, walking in with such excitement about being able to cuddle my baby and made me feel so at ease. I shared some of how I was feeling and ended up breaking down from sheer tiredness and stress. Sharon listened attentively and once I had finished, immediately came and gave me a hug and said she was going to help. I just felt so relieved and that she truly wanted to help which comforted me no end. She tried to feed my son as much as she could and then said that she was going to find out exactly what the treatment plan was and come back with a course of action. Meanwhile, she instructed me to sleep, reassuring me that she would watch my son and assist my husband in feeding him for the next few hours. She spoke to everyone involved in my son's care and from then on she made it a priority to know exactly what was going on. We knew that we could ask her anything and that she would be able to answer or if she didn't know that she would find out as a matter of urgency. She was an advocate for us and such a support. It was so helpful and reassuring knowing that one person was taking charge of coordinating everyone's involvement, ensuring everyone was communicating with each other providing a joined-up treatment plan.
When my son's temperature started to increase and his breathing altered she immediately got him assessed. He was taken to Gosset for a couple of hours for assessment and observation with a view to either being admitted or returned to the postnatal ward. When this was going on, Sharon came and explained everything to us with such care and compassion but with expertise and knowledge as to what would happen next. She offered to stay late that day until we knew what was happening for certain. Later that night he was admitted to Gosset.
The next morning Sharon had evidently read up on what had happened the previous evening and overnight after she had left - she came to my room well before 8 am and asked if I had seen my son. I explained how we had gone up to the neonatal unit the night before but had arrived during handover so not much had been explained and we felt quite overwhelmed and upset. Straightaway she offered to take me up there and showed me around and introduced me to the staff up there ensuring that I felt more comfortable and that my questions were answered. As I spent more and more time on the neonatal unit, Sharon still made time to come and see my son and me and I felt like she genuinely had our best interests at heart and wanted to know how he was.
When it came time for the postnatal ward wanting to discharge me, it was unfortunately brought up at an inappropriate time which caused some upset. When Sharon came to see me the morning after, I explained what had happened. She didn't try and give excuses for why it might have happened, instead, she apologised wholeheartedly despite not being involved in the situation herself. This made me view her with such respect and admiration. She then coordinated the conversation about discharge herself, advocating for me and then coming back and sharing the plans, always being so considerate with my feelings and apologetic when it meant there was the possibility I would have to go home without my son. Sharon had such empathy when interacting with us throughout our time in hospital. On a few occasions, I'm sure I spotted tears in her eyes which only made me feel even more valued and that my son's care was of real importance to her. When it came to the time of my discharge, she dropped what she was doing and offered to walk me up to the neonatal ward realising just how difficult the prospect of leaving the ward was for me.
It felt like she consistently made time for my family and me, no matter how busy she was. She made things so much easier throughout what was a challenging and somewhat overwhelming period. She supported us and coordinated our son's care with such skill and expertise, communicating what was going on with clarity and without delay. She saw beyond the symptoms of my son and looked after us all as a family holistically, with such care, compassion, and attentiveness. Her knowledge of neonatal care makes her a wonderful asset to the postnatal ward and her personality means that she is a joy to be around. She was authentic and went above and beyond to try to make our experience as positive as she could, minimising our stress in whatever way possible. Without her involvement, I know our experience would have been far different. She truly deserves recognition for all that she did.