Colorado Fetal Care Center 2017 Overview and Outcomes CIMFH_160133591_2017-07_CFCC 2017 Overview and Out | Page 16
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slide up and down. It was a positive prognosis,
as the physicians felt confident they could
repair the problem. I can say we did leave
feeling better: I didn’t feel like I would be just
another patient; they truly cared about the
outcome for Jack.
As my pregnancy progressed, I continued
with weekly ultrasounds, non-stress tests
(NSTs) and biophysical profiles. Some weeks
passed with no news. Other weeks we
wouldn’t pass our NST, or I had high blood
pressure. I became anxious every Monday
night, knowing that each Tuesday was
another appointment. I would pray that they
would be wrong about everything.
When the time came, we toured the
Children’s Colorado Maternal Fetal Care Unit
“As a nurse,
I recognized good care.”
and Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). The
moment we checked in for my induction, we
were treated with phenomenal care. All the
nurses were respectful and knowledgeable.
I remember pushing while a team of 15 to 20
people waited in the hallway to care for my
child as soon as he was delivered.
Afterward, my sister asked if that was a lot of
pressure knowing that so many people were
waiting for me to have my baby so they could
get to work. It was reassuring knowing that
so many trained professionals were there for
our child.
As a nurse, I recognized good care. I also
noticed how much respect the team had
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for each other. I wish I hadn’t understood so
much of the medical side because it hit too
close to home. But once I returned to work,
I discovered that this journey made me a
better nurse — I was and continue to be more
compassionate with my patients because
I can relate more closely with each of their
experiences.
Once our son was stabilized, I could see him
before he was taken to the NICU. My husband
followed him to the NICU and stayed with
him through the night. Our nurse that first
night, Julie, untangled all his IV lines and
helped my husband make sense of the 17 or
so pumps.
On the fourth day of Jack’s life, pediatric
surgeon Ken Liechty, MD, and neonatologist
John Kinsella, MD, completed his repair. We
were told to expect a one-step-forward, two-
steps-back type of recovery. But each day he
got stronger, and more pumps disappeared
from his bedside.
The entire time we felt that we were not
another case, but that they cared for us as a
family. One of our nurses even came to our
home after we were discharged to babysit, so
we could go out to dinner for my husband’s
birthday. She knew we wouldn’t have gone
unless we had an experienced caregiver
there. You don’t find care like that at every
facility. The interdisciplinary committee of
surgeons, nurse practitioners, nurses and
cardiology was so solid and reassuring. In
total, we were in the hospital for 28 days. The
team became a sort of second family.
“ The entire time we
felt that we were not
just another case, but
that they cared for us
as a family.”
L I N D S AY, JA C K’ S M O M
Jack is perfect, healthy and truly the best
thing we have ever done. We are one of the
lucky ones. Our story has a happy ending,
thanks to the team at Children’s Colorado.
Colorado Fetal Care Center 2017
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