After losing her newborn son, patient shares her gratitude and hope
After the devastating loss of her newborn son, a patient writes in to express her gratitude and to share how she has found hope again.
I am writing to express my gratitude for the story, ‘From Grief To Hope: One Couple’s Journey After Losing Their Newborn’ published on December 4, 2105, in AAMC’s online magazine Living Healthier Together.
My husband and I delivered our stillborn son at AAMC after just moving to Maryland. This story not only offered hope for our future, but also recognized the 60 couples and their silent children that share a similar experience to us at AAMC each year. The most important action anyone can do for my husband and me is recognize and acknowledge our son and our grief.
What sets one hospital apart from another is 1. the medical capability and advancement, 2. The cost of implementing treatment, and 3. the compassion of staff and customer service. The perinatal loss program at AAMC excels in all three of these areas. It is unique in that not many other hospitals have such an extensive and detailed program, the compassion of the nurses implementing the program is unlike any I have experienced from any other human being and because of the support I received, I will always return to AAMC for my future children and all other medical ailments.
I recognize that as a hospital it is better to focus on positive outcomes rather than negative ones; however, it is AAMC’s actions in the darkest hours of people’s lives that will set AAMC apart from other hospitals. That is what the perinatal loss program at AAMC does and recognizing this in the story ‘From Grief To Hope … ‘ was a step in the right direction.
I would like recognize the exceptional care we received when our only child was delivered at AAMC. Dr. Michael Lantz cared for him in the weeks before he died; Dr. Ifeyinwa Stitt compassionately delivered him; Anne O’Sullivan, RN, Perinatal Loss Program Coordinator, prepared us for the death of our son and went out of her way to be with us on that horrible day; L&D nurses Sarah Sklanka, RN, and Jessica Heilbrun, RN, took pictures, footprints and cared for our son and us. Because of these medical professionals and the care we received, I have recommended AAMC to my colleagues for delivering their children and for receiving general medical treatment.
Please continue to acknowledge the silent children as well as the living. Please continue to provide resources to the perinatal loss program. Please make sure to recognize the people who make AAMC’s care exceptional. Please reach out to me if you would like to know more about our experience at AAMC or if there is any way we can assist the perinatal loss program. We will donate every Christmas and are available as a resource for others.
1 comment