Going into the hospital to have your firstborn child can be a nerve-wracking experience. For a blind couple in Colorado, those fears were amplified.
Stephanie and Bryan Baldwin welcomed a baby boy, Liam, last month. The couple was recently virtually reunited with their favorite nurse from their stay at Sky Ridge Medical Center, Stephanie Pocsik.
The Baldwins were the first blind couple that Nurse Stephanie helped through a delivery. “I wanted to be totally honest with them upfront that I’ve never had a patient who was visually impaired,” she told Fox31.
Stephanie and Brian explained that they had some apprehensions about navigating the delivery process. They wanted to have the same kind of delivery experience that so many new parents take for granted. They had some concerns about how hospital staff would accommodate their needs.
The best thing the hospital staff did was listen. They heard Stephanie and Bryan’s concerns and let them lead the way when it came to how to best handle situations with them. That made all the difference.
“Somebody who was willing to ask questions but not willing to assume,” Bryan said was what they hoped for.
“I was just curious as to how I could make it easier for them,” Nurse Stephanie noted.
She tried some techniques, such as using tape to create texture for different things around the hospital room.
“There are so many little simple solutions like that that make a huge difference,” the new mom added.
“Having that experience with Bryan and Stephanie is going to change my practice forever,” Nurse Stephanie said.
Source : https://www.littlethings.com/blind-couple-nurse-delivery/