Susan was my nurse on the second and third nights of a 3-night hospital stay. My son was admitted due to having a fever at only 3 weeks old. My husband and I have 2 toddlers. Being the youngest of 3, he didn’t have the most peaceful arrival home! His sister was sick the night he was born, meaning he and I stayed away from home until the illness had gone through the household and we had wiped down surfaces- about a week. Once home, we thought we’d get into the swing of being a family of 5 without much more drama, but unfortunately, as toddlers do, the kids brought home yet another illness only a week later.

Despite us quarantining in the nursery at the first sign of fever in my toddlers, I quickly came down with the same cold, followed by my baby. My husband and I arrived at St. Joe's Children’s. I’d been up with the baby keeping his fever down since 4 am, and unfortunately, it spiked during a nap. Upon arrival at the hospital, we heard such scary news. He’d have to undergo a spinal tap, and they would need blood and urine cultures to rule out any bacterial infection. I was up the whole day, worried sick, and was then left at the hospital alone with him at night so my husband could take care of our other 2. My poor baby was so ill and not at home, so he would not sleep if I put him down. I fought sleep most of the night, holding him and nursing him. The day was a complete blur.

We were told he was positive for viral meningitis, but we still needed to stay and watch the cultures to rule out a secondary bacterial infection. I sobbed. I was terrified for my baby and terrified of how we’d make it another night with him so sick and me so tired. I felt so guilty about missing my toddlers. I was a mess. That’s when this nurse came in and introduced herself as my nurse for the night. I was polite (I think), but it was such a sleep-deprived blur.

At his first wake-up, Susan came to do vitals and asked if I would mind if she tried putting him to sleep. I said, of course, knowing I could use all the help I could get. Susan came, took the baby's vitals, administered antibiotics only when he woke to eat, and put him back to sleep for me over and over again, all night long. She was a godsend.

When I woke up the next morning, I couldn’t believe (1) she was able to get him down and (2) she actually let me sleep. When we got the news we’d have to be there one more night, my anxiety was next to none, knowing she was going to be my nurse that night too. That final night, after 3 or 4 failed attempts of me putting him to sleep, Susan went as far as to say, “I’ll just take care of him for a bit,” and just let me sleep. I woke up a few hours later to him hungry, but I could not believe how refreshed I felt after a 3-hour stretch of sleep. The amount of anxiety and stress I had 3 weeks post-partum with a sick newborn and 2 toddlers at home was astronomical. Mix that with sleep deprivation, and I was a weepy mess! Susan literally saved my life, I think.

I will never forget my experience with her and will be thankful for the rest of my life that she was there those nights. She was the support I needed desperately and made everything feel manageable.

Thank you, thank you, thank you!