How to say thank you to NICU nurses

Specialties NICU

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Hi I'm not sure if this is the appropriate place to post this but here I go. I am a med-surg nurse and had a baby august 16th a 27 weeker he was taken off of life support on september 3rd after doing great for 2 weeks and developing NEC and lossing most of his intestines or about half unable to maintain blood pressure and so on. His nurses were the best as I'm sure you all get all the time. I wasn't one of the parents bringing coffee and snakcs as I did and still believe as a nurse this is my job I don't need anything extra though sometimes it is nice :wink2: My question is how do you thank someone who cared for my child and me? I know nothing can ever show my appreciation but any thoughts? I know every nurses name that took care of him.

Thank You in advance for any help you can be.

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Specializes in NICU, ER/Trauma.

i don't think thanks are necessary - but if you feel like you need to do something, it's always nice to have a letter written to the manager of the unit or president of the hospital, mentioning the nurses who took care of your baby.

my deepest sympathies for your loss.

if they can be of any help .... www.michaelsfeat.org

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Specializes in Nephrology, Cardiology, ER, ICU.

I am so sorry for your loss. I echo the above poster - a nice card or letter is what I appreciated.

Prayers.

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You might send a card to the unit with a note of your appreciation. In our unit, we hang those up on the bulletin board for all to read.....and they stay there for quite awhile. Many times, when I'm having an especially stressful day, I'll talk a break and go read that board.

That being said, I'm so very sorry for your loss. NEC is an awful infection, no two ways about it. This is all very raw for you now, take the time you need to grieve your precious one.

Jamie

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Specializes in NICU.

I'm so sorry to hear about the loss of your son. You are in my thoughts.

I agree that a nice letter would be appropriate if you would like to do something for the unit. We get letters sent directly to us and also get forwarded copies of letters sent to the CEO of the hospital regarding our unit.

Losing babies is always hard on the NICU staff. We like to get updates from the parents to see how they're doing down the road. We also attend many funerals and memorial services, to gain our own sense of closure. Reading letters from parents thanking us for caring for their babies - whether they survived or not - is something that we cherish. I'd rather read a heartfelt letter than get a gift anyday, that's for sure. Knowing what we did right (or wrong) only helps us to be better nurses in the future when faced with these kinds of devastating situations.

Again, I'm so sorry about your son. Please take care.

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Specializes in nicu.

Im am so sorry for your loss. I agree with the above posts, We enjpy receiving letters notes of thanks from our patients families. It not only helps us to appreciate what we have done but also up dates us on how the family is doing whether the little one went home or has passed.

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ITA! Everyone wants to send us food, but a note to us or a letter to the hospital director is most appreciated.We like to hear from people after they leave, no matter the outcome.

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I prefer pictures.

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Just wanted to update. I decided to send cards and pictures of him. I was going to send one card to the whole staff with pictures, one to each of the 3 nurses who took care of him after he whad NEC and one to his neonatologist. Its hard to decide what to write because well words can't really begin to express the gratitude to someone who cares for your baby and cares for you.

Thank you all for responding and thank you for posting things I can read that make me think that I made the best decision with my son.

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I think cards and pics is a great way to go. Even a short, simple message will let the staff know that they are appreciated. In my experience, grieving familes are rarely able to extend such warm gestures. I'm sure it will mean a great deal to them.

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Specializes in LTC, assisted living, med-surg, psych.

You are a wonderful person to think of the nurses who cared for you and your son, especially during some of the darkest days a human being can ever face.

Please accept my heartfelt condolences. My prayers and thoughts are with you.:crying2:

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