Nanas

What intrigued me about nursing when I chose my major, was that in nursing, you get the unique opportunity to be with people during some of the most trying times and some of the happiest times of their lives.  Times that they'll remember, as opposed to, in most jobs where you see people during their normal days.

One of those "times" this week that made an impression on me, was listening to a new grandma explaining her role in her new grandbaby's life.  It was one of the sweetest things that I've ever heard.

This grandma had been sitting next to her baby's isolette for an hour or so by herself, without really interacting much, just holding the baby's hand, and I sat nearby and charted, occasionally exchanging a few words with her.  After a while, I remembered that I needed to prick that baby's heel for a lab, so I went over and after explaining what I had to do, offered the grandmother some options: you can wait in the waiting room, you can sit here and watch me, or you can hold a syringe with a little bit of sucrose in the baby's mouth to ease the pain.  She reluctantly went with option 3.  So I got my pricker, and my lab sheet, and the gauze and tape, and some alcohol, and a little tiny bit of sucrose for grandma.

Since we would be bonding over the next few minutes, I asked her who she was going to be, to which she replied "Nana".  "I have a Nana", I told her, "so I know that Nanas are really special people, and he's lucky to have one".  With that bit of encouragement, each of us went to our separate duties, me to pricking, and Nana to sugar-giving.

During the next 3-5 minutes or so, Nana told the baby all about Nanas, and the irony of her first job in his little life, to give him sugar.  She explained that Nanas ALWAYS have the sweet stuff.  That Nanas always make you feel better.  That Nanas love you no matter what all of the time.  She went on and on and I wanted to cry because, since I have a Nana, I know how right she was, especially about the sweet stuff.  Nanas slip you a twenty when you only have half a tank of gas.  Nanas cut the ends off of your sandwiches and then make you another one to make up for the fact that half of the previous sandwich had to be cut off.  Nanas send you a card for not only Christmas and your birthday, but Valentines and Halloween.  Nanas get you a Chick-fil-A when you already have food at home because you like that better.  Nanas pick you up from school with a coke and a bag of candy since they know you'll be hungry.  And I could go on and on.

The baby didn't cry or act upset at all.  Just looked at Nana and learned about how special Nanas are.