{"id":7239,"date":"2019-09-16T15:38:16","date_gmt":"2019-09-16T20:38:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.osfhealthcare.org\/blog\/?p=7239"},"modified":"2019-08-30T15:44:06","modified_gmt":"2019-08-30T20:44:06","slug":"new-parents-find-family-when-most-needed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/new-parents-find-family-when-most-needed\/","title":{"rendered":"New parents find family when it\u2019s most needed"},"content":{"rendered":"

Our son was born early and unexpectedly. My husband and I have no family living here in the United States, but we are very close with our parents, siblings and extended families who live in Brazil and the Philippines.<\/p>\n

Family is essential to both of us, and we had plans for our relatives to travel across the globe for visits once the baby was born.<\/p>\n

But sometimes, plans get derailed and you find yourself in a situation you didn\u2019t expect. We found ourselves having a baby earlier than planned with no family present.<\/p>\n

During this time, I so desperately needed a sense of family, a sense of comfort.<\/p>\n

We found that within the caregivers at OSF HealthCare Heart of Mary Medical Center<\/a> in Urbana, Illinois. They went beyond our wildest dreams and truly cared for us like we were their own family.<\/p>\n

Thankful every day for our OSF family<\/h2>\n

I work in the hospital, and sometimes when I see my son\u2019s neonatologist or one of my nurses, I get an overwhelming urge to hug them.<\/p>\n

\"SantiagoThey think they were just doing their job, but to me they feel like family. They gave me the greatest gift of all \u2013 my son. Every time that I look at my son, I have an overwhelming sense of gratitude for the care we received that led to me holding him in my arms each day.<\/p>\n

Having our first child with no family close by, I did all that I could to prepare. I read all the books. We attended as many classes as possible. We even had the nursery set.<\/p>\n

And then, during my 37-week routine check-up, the doctor told me she wanted to induce labor that night.<\/p>\n

My doctor stated I had pre-eclampsia<\/a> and my baby was no longer safe in my womb.<\/p>\n

I remember sitting in complete shock thinking I was totally unprepared and not ready for this baby to come even after all the planning I had done.<\/p>\n

I began to worry. I began to think of everything that could go wrong with an early birth. I started to think about not having family around to help me through what\u2019s ahead.<\/p>\n

Expert, compassionate care<\/h2>\n

My blood pressure spiked even higher due to the stress and anxiety.<\/p>\n

My nurses sensed my anxiety and one nurse in particular stands out in my mind \u2013 she truly embodied the Sisters’ Mission<\/a> of compassionate care.<\/p>\n

With no family present during the delivery besides my husband, Andre, I desperately needed a mother figure by my side.<\/p>\n

Karen became my serenity, my sense of family. With Karen by my side, and after 30 hours of labor, Gianluca was finally born.<\/p>\n

But he had respiratory issues and had to be admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.<\/p>\n

I had a grocery list of questions for my nurses. Not only were they compassionate and understanding, ensuring to keep me calm while showing great professionalism.<\/p>\n

They knew the answers to all of my oddball questions as a new mother. At that moment, I knew my son was being treated by a level of expertise that other moms only dream about.<\/p>\n

And for that, I am forever grateful to all of my nurses at OSF Heart of Mary.<\/p>\n

A memory of a lifetime<\/h2>\n

During discharge when a nurse was wheeling me out of the birthing unit, I remember having this moment of looking behind me towards the birthing unit that we had just left.<\/p>\n

I wanted to freeze that moment in time. I wanted to remember everything about it – every caregiver, every sound, even all the moments when I felt overwhelmed.<\/p>\n

In that instant, I felt a sense of peace.<\/p>\n

I developed a fondness for the men and women who work in the Blessed Beginnings Birthing Center<\/a> at OSF Heart of Mary.<\/p>\n

They showed me that family can exist outside of my relatives and how serving with the greatest care and love can touch a person\u2019s soul when they need it most.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Santiagos found themselves with a premature baby and no family present. They found family in the caregivers at OSF Heart of Mary.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":94,"featured_media":7395,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[118,223],"tags":[649,747,413],"coauthors":[938],"class_list":["post-7239","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-birthing-center","category-patient-story","tag-neonatal-intensive-care-unit","tag-osf-heart-of-mary","tag-premature-baby"],"yoast_head":"\nNew parents find family when it\u2019s most needed<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The Santiagos found themselves with a premature baby and no family present. 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