Touch your patients with love... A baby with neonatal sepsis was referred from a district hospital. The tiny baby had clinical severe septic signs and was in a very poor condition. His parents were anxious and shocked. Everyday we handled the baby affectionately; we put our heart into every treatment we gave to him. Finally, after fifteen days full of endless effort and prayer, he was in a better condition, and started crying. A cry which made us very happy and grateful. Thank you God.

It is my second pregnancy, and my first in this country. I appreciate the warmth and security my midwife brings. She is committed and gives me the information I need to calm my worries and make me feel empowered to make my own decisions about the birth. Pregnancy is not a disease! I feel confident that we’re working as a team and she has the best interest of my and my family it heart. It doesn’t feel like she’s doing a job, it feels like she’s really thrilled by her role in bringing new life into the world. Thank you Johanna!

Birth is a magical moment for both mothers and their families. My heart always leaps with happiness when I hold a newborn in my arms. That is why I try as much as possible to ensure that every staff member in our unit has the right knowledge, as well as skills in resuscitation of neonatal babies using the “helping Baby to Breath” procedure. One of the best things about my work is teaching midwifery students; the knowledge that through their studies they will provide better care and counsel to mothers and their families. I strongly believe that investing in midwives is investing in women and babies.

Five months ago, a baby came with craniosynostosis and severe weight faltering. Mom said her milk was drying up, since she had been throwing out her milk while her baby was staying at PICU. Yet, mom was really determined to give him breast milk again. We put them in relactation program. With a lot of faith, team effort, and support, we actually made it. The surgery went well and mom was able to breastfeed the baby again. Now this lucky baby is healthy and exclusively breastfed.

A patient came into my retail clinic complaining of a mild sore throat. I quickly detected a significantly more severe diagnosis of pulmonary edema, so I immediately transported her to a hospital where she delivered a premature, yet healthy, baby by emergency C-section. I believe in facilitating connections between other Nurse Practitioners working at retail clinics across the country so they are better equipped to competently meet the unique demands of retail clinics – together.

My pregnancy wasn't at all a smooth sailing one. And what knocked me of my balance was when my boy came to my world about 10 weeks early. With the care of awesome doctors and nurses, we graduated from NICU in 123 days. That's when my journey really begins. My baby was home with oxygen support. All the actions taken to keep him safe, the insanity of keeping people away from my home, the tears that I've cried; only made me stronger and made him a fabulous bubbly boy today. The care and love he got from the doctors, nurses, fellow NICU parents and family will never be forgotten.

Long years back, I received a call from a relative and asking me to join him at a hospital where his wife had just undergone a caesarean section. Worryingly the baby was not crying. I rushed to the hospital and when I arrived I found that the situation was complicated and the atmosphere was tense. With the support of the gynecologist and the staff we resuscitated the baby using a bag and a mask. After some struggle the baby cried and the tension was relieved. Sometimes I reflect on how strange it is that a crying baby can bring a smile to thousands of faces.

I attend a birth call a few months ago which has stuck with me. A pregnant mother's 12 year old son had died eighteen months beforehand, due to viral encephalitis . He was treated by me in ICU but unfortunately he had not survived after all our efforts. A few months after the death of her son the mother decided to conceive. I attended the birth of her twin girls. The first baby was healthy but the second baby was admitted to NICU for respiratory distress syndrome for 25 days. She was then able to return to her mother safely. I was so happy that god give her two children in place of the death of her one son.

Every time I am in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit I am reminded of how powerful and encompassing is the concept of family. The family of the sick child is motivated to do their very best for their child and to support one another. The virtual family that surrounds them, the obstetrician, the nurse and the pediatrician are moved and motivated in the same way. This virtual family of providers does their very best for the child and supports one another to achieve the maximum benefit for that child and her family. These families become as one in their love and concern.

I was working in a remote hospital in Afghanistan, when it was controlled by the Taliban. A woman and her unmarried 17 year-old daughter came to the hospital and the mother told me her husband wanted to kill the girl because he thought she was pregnant. I examined her and found that she was not expecting a child but instead had a huge ovarian cyst. My diagnosis proved to her father that she was not pregnant. Whenever they met me they were so thankful.

I was diagnosed with inferior vena cava thrombosis during my second pregnancy. What you most want when you have difficult times in life is to have suitable people, especially when it comes to pregnancy and the life that waits to come to the world. I was fortunate to be attended by unparalleled personnel, especially Dr. Maria Fernanda Escobar, who, together with her group of doctors and nurses, made my difficult diagnosis an experience full of hope, which mitigated the fear of being a mother for second time.

An HIV-positive pregnant woman came to my clinic with mixed feelings about her HIV status and her intention to breastfeed her baby. I explained to her about mechanisms of transmission, the risks and benefits of breastfeeding in her particular situation, and the use of antiretroviral prophylaxis and treatment, she was very confident to breastfeed her baby. When the baby was born and I placed the beautiful baby girl to her mother's chest, she was so delighted, and realized that there is a hope for her to become a ‘normal’ mother.