Megan Irick
June 2019
Megan
Irick
,
RN
Mother-Baby Unit
PeaceHealth Sacred Heart Medical Center at RiverBend
Springfield
,
OR
United States

 

 

 

We had the pleasure of having Megan as our nurse during the very first night with our daughter. I was in pain and exhausted and Megan was the perfect balance of positive, lighthearted and understanding. There were several ways that Megan demonstrated being a DAISY Nurse (e.g. taking the time to show my husband how to swaddle over and over again in the middle of the night, being available and willing to answer questions at all hours, and being understanding about the vulnerabilities of becoming a new parent following a major medical procedure). One such instance stands out to me and is why I am nominating Megan for the DAISY Award. I am almost too embarrassed to even write about what happened, but I will channel my "inner Megan" to normalize the event. Following delivery, I was wheeled into the Mother and Baby ward. I was guided from the wheelchair into the bed with my little one still in my arms. If you asked me at that time what directions my OB-Gyn had given me following the delivery procedure, I would have not been able to tell you because I was so overwhelmed, exhausted, sore and focused on my new baby. It turns out due to the tearing during delivery, they had given me a triple dose of prescription stool softeners. Like most new babies and mamas, we had quite a few visitors wanting to see the baby right after she was born. The first 30 minutes went by easily, but I was starting to get tired and wanted to get ready for bed. Just at that moment, while everyone was standing around saying their long goodbyes my bowels emptied their entire contents onto the bed, I was in. In a moment of panic, I looked at Megan, and she must have read my expression. She told all of the guests it was time for them to leave so I could have some privacy and ushered everyone from the room except my partner. In one swift move, she handed my daughter to my husband, stood me up, wrapped a fresh gown around me, removed the soiled sheets from the bed and ushered me into the bathroom. She stayed with me while I cried and helped me rinse off, dry and get dressed. She was so calm, patient, and understanding, but also was able to normalize the experience for me. She made me feel like I was not alone. My husband later reflected that he didn't even know what happened. He shared that it was so seamless and normal that he didn't even register that anything was wrong. To me, that is the sign of a truly special nurse.