Kashara Jones
February 2025
Kashara
Jones
,
RN
NICU
Studer Family Children's Hospital
Pensacola
,
FL
United States
It was so hard to leave the NICU at night, but when Kashara was there, I knew he was loved and truly in the best hands
Kashara Jones was my son’s nurse during his stay in the NICU. My husband and I were vacationing in Florida. I suddenly and unexpectedly got severe preeclampsia and had to have an emergency C-section. My son, R, was born prematurely at 26 weeks and 5 days. Which means my husband and I were hundreds of miles away from home for nearly 4 months as our son recovered in the NICU.
R’s stay in the NICU lasted 103 days. Kashara became R’s nurse on day 42 of his stay - his primary nurse soon after. Kashara was an exceptional nurse to R. He loved her!
The last half of R’s stay in the NICU was heavily focused on bottle feeding. This was an extremely challenging task for R and us as new parents. It required a ton of patience, and since we were so far from home, and this was our last hurdle before his release, it was by far the most difficult part of our stay. Kashara became our rock through this challenge. She was the only nurse who consistently got R to drink full bottles, and she taught us how to do the same.
In a lot of ways, she became our therapist. Many times, she had to talk us down from a metaphorical ledge. She encouraged us to stay positive and helped us advocate for R when we weren’t feeling confident making decisions as new parents.
It is clear that she loves her job and uses her own maternal instincts to guide her. She is a natural! She also shared her own experience as a mother with her twins in the NICU. This experience and her natural abilities make her the ideal NICU nurse.
As any new mother can testify, postpartum is the most sensitive time in a woman’s life. It is overwhelming and exhausting. Kashara was a powerhouse of support for me. She comforted me and made me laugh when I needed it the most. Most importantly, she was the best nurse to care for R. It was so hard to leave the NICU at night, but when Kashara was there, I knew he was loved and truly in the best hands. I cannot say enough about the incredible Kashara Jones.
R’s stay in the NICU lasted 103 days. Kashara became R’s nurse on day 42 of his stay - his primary nurse soon after. Kashara was an exceptional nurse to R. He loved her!
The last half of R’s stay in the NICU was heavily focused on bottle feeding. This was an extremely challenging task for R and us as new parents. It required a ton of patience, and since we were so far from home, and this was our last hurdle before his release, it was by far the most difficult part of our stay. Kashara became our rock through this challenge. She was the only nurse who consistently got R to drink full bottles, and she taught us how to do the same.
In a lot of ways, she became our therapist. Many times, she had to talk us down from a metaphorical ledge. She encouraged us to stay positive and helped us advocate for R when we weren’t feeling confident making decisions as new parents.
It is clear that she loves her job and uses her own maternal instincts to guide her. She is a natural! She also shared her own experience as a mother with her twins in the NICU. This experience and her natural abilities make her the ideal NICU nurse.
As any new mother can testify, postpartum is the most sensitive time in a woman’s life. It is overwhelming and exhausting. Kashara was a powerhouse of support for me. She comforted me and made me laugh when I needed it the most. Most importantly, she was the best nurse to care for R. It was so hard to leave the NICU at night, but when Kashara was there, I knew he was loved and truly in the best hands. I cannot say enough about the incredible Kashara Jones.