7 | Methodist Magazine
There’s a phrase we are told as labor nurses, “When it’s happy here, it’s happy. But when it’s sad, it is really sad”. When you start, it’s so easy to get attached to the families that you work with. You spend 12+ hours of your day with them. You get engulfed in their stories, learn about their likes and dislikes, and try to give them their dream delivery. But with families who have babies born still, you also bear witness that their child actually came earthside. You are forever part of their baby’s short life. -Jana Castro, L&D Director, Methodist Hospital | Stone Oak “I met a family in triage a few years ago that forever changed the way I practice nursing and the way I see the world. As first time parents, this couple was so excited to meet their little girl. At full term, mom was in labor and came through triage to be checked into the hospital. I greeted her, and the unthinkable happened when I was unable to find her baby’s heartbeat. Ultrasound confirmed, and the parents were then told that they had to deliver their daughter. Their beautiful girl came earth-side, her eyes open to heaven already. In that instant, I formed a bond with this family as I helped them
bathe, dress and take photos with their baby. I cried tears with them and assured them that she only knew love. I watched as they said goodbye to their baby for the final time, hugging them and telling them that this was not the end of their story. I would always tell their daughter’s story of love. Fast forward to last year, mid-pandemic, when the family was going to celebrate their daughter’s first heavenly birthday by collecting donations for our unit at the hospital. The mother reached out, and we decided that a room to honor other families going through infant loss would be the perfect way to celebrate their little girl. Annaleigh’s Room was born. Together with many members of our hospital team, her room slowly came together into a beautiful space to celebrate other babies and their families. Places on the wall hold sacred spaces for names of babies gone too soon. A bassinette sits in the corner to give room for babies to meet their families. I got to be a part of making Annaleigh’s legacy live on forever.”