Natalie Scott Receives the Daisy Award
January 23, 2025
NICU Nurse, Natalie Scott, recently received the Daisy Award for exceptional nursing. She was nominated by a NICU family.
"Our daughter was a patient in the NICU for 9 weeks total and around week 7 we had interacted with so many nurses and doctors that we could hardly keep track. They were wonderful, but it was around week 7 that Natalie walked in. We had a 4 year old son at home, so we were at the NICU any chance we had, which meant we were there on the tail end of already long days, starting what felt like the second shift. Natalie walked in the room and we could immediately sense her compassion and care for both us and our girl. She would sit and talk with us far beyond what was required of her - clearly wanting to ensure that our souls were cared for. We would often walk in in the morning (after Natalie had loved our daughter all night) to a song or encouraging message on the whiteboard. She would sit patiently with our girl as she learned how to eat. Where others seemed to give our girl a try at the bottle and quickly move on if she had any trouble, Natalie sat with her, patiently waiting for her to do things on her own time. It was because of Natalie that we were reminded that our intuition as parents was not negated by our baby being in the NICU. It was so clear to us that Natalie cares immensely for her patients and their families. We felt absolutely confident that she would take care of our little one as though she was her own.
If I could, I'd love to share one more story of Natalie's above and beyond compassion. There was one night that stands out. I had just finished a breastfeeding attempt, one that had consisted of a small bradycardia and desat event. I was discouraged. It felt as though I was failing as a mother and that our girl was going to be in the hospital forever. Natalie walked in to check on us and see how long my daughter had eaten for. I let her know it had only been a few minutes, she recorded it, and then she walked back over to me. She sat on the couch and leaned in. She asked me what I was feeling. I admitted that I was feeling absolutely discouraged as slow tears rolled down my cheeks. Natalie didn't have to stay back and check on me, but she did. Not only that, but she offered encouragement that I was not failing. She recounted to me things she had observed while watching me with my daughter and assured me that I knew her well, that she was a strong little girl, and that we were going to get out of there. Her encouragement was exactly what I needed in those tireless final weeks (although we didn't know they were final days at the time) of NICU.
Natalie is clearly a nurse that goes beyond simply accomplishing the nursing tasks."
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