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Naomi Degollado

Jill Bristow

Dramatic Writing

27 March 2020

The Interview
Interviewee: Healther Vier
Ms. Vier is 31 year old mom of two boys - ages 7 and 5 1/2. She found the most peace
when she was walking at the edge of the Gulf of Mexico which is 10 minutes away from
her house, spending time in the gym, or researching. She is a lover of all things evidence
based and scientific. She wasn't always like that, though - She initially wanted to work in
advertising or be an English teacher. The development of my scientific literacy is really
only about 5 years old.

Q1: What is the biggest issue in NICU and a labor doula?

It all boils down to support, both emotional and educational. I think something that a lot
of nurses seem to forget is that not every parent fully understands anatomy and
physiology, the way an intensive care unit works, or how to effectively communicate with
medical staff. Combine all of that with the fact that some of the parents are also
navigating work, breastfeeding ( If that's the route the family chooses to go), and other
children - it's really a recipe for an incredibly stressful situation. Additionally, the financial
burden that comes with a baby in the NICU can be life altering for a lot of families; travel
, food, childcare for other children, time off work, insurance copays and deductibles, and
even parking (some hospitals charge for that!)

Q2: Why did you decide on a career as a labor dual and neonatal nurse?

When I gave birth, I had incredible experiences. My obstetrician and nurses respected
me, made sure I was well informed, answered all of my questions, and were so kind -
even though I was having birthing experiences I wouldn’t have picked, but were
necessary. When I started talking to other women I realized that wasn’t the common
experience. So I started researching ways to help. I could have become a Certified
Professional Midwife, but I decided I don’t like that model of care - it has a much higher
mortality rate and isn’t evidence based - but I did find out what a doula is and decided I
could do that work with a clean conscience because they’re shown to improve outcomes
and birth satisfaction, which was exactly my goal! So I did that work for two years and
left a birth where my client was delivering a baby after a stillbirth, and the nurse was
incredibly hateful to her. I left thinking “I could be a nurse. If she can do it, so can I, and I
can do it better.” So I enrolled in Anatomy and Physiology and applied to nursing school.
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Q3: How do you handle the stress of the job?
Honestly, I don’t think this work is stressful. It’s a huge stress relief for me, to be honest.
I find that educating and supporting other people leaves me feeling energized, most of
the time. That said, I do a lot of self-care. I eat well, I work out regularly, I set boundaries
with clients and friends/family so that I have plenty of time to relax while also spending
time with them.

Q4: What do you find rewarding about this job?

Seeing moms walk away from their births feeling good about them is huge! Since that
was my goal going into it, it always warms my heart and makes me swell with pride - not
because I’ve really done anything, but because those moms took what I taught them and
did so much with it. That translates over to families with NICU babies being able to
advocate for their baby and their own needs as a family unit - in general people feeling
empowered is a really rewarding thing for me

Q5: What do you find is the hardest part about being a nurse?

Time management and prioritizing the patients, as well as keeping the emotions out of it.
I can’t get emotionally involved and that’s hard for me because I love people so much
and want what’s best for everyone.

Some examples of these issues are things like: I had a mom who birthed her 8th baby. All

seven of her prior deliveries were vaginal, and this one was a cesarean because he was

breech - but he was also 8 weeks premature, so he was in the NICU. She had breastfed all

of her previous babies, but breastfeeding in the NICU is hard because they’re on a strict

schedule, they need to eat exactly the prescribed amount, and they track all of their input

and output. That mom tried everything, but didn’t know the words to ask for a

“supplemental nursing system” so that her baby could breastfeed but receive the

amount of milk prescribed via a tube alongside mom’s nipple.

ne of my clients had twins. One needed NICU services and one didn’t. She’s a pediatric

oncology nurse practitioner, but having all the medical experience in the world doesn’t

prepare one for having their babies split up, one needing special care, and trying to

recover from childbirth (which is actually kind of a traumatizing process for the human
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body). - A friend of mine has a baby in the NICU waiting on a heart transplant. She has

two older children at home and her infant will be in the NICU until he receives a new heart

in about 6 months. She’s doing a great job with the medical side of things, but she

doesn’t have a way to see her girls because the NICU is two hours from home. In both of

those cases, my clients felt very alone, like they weren’t getting compassionate care, and

like they were floundering. If someone had come along and said “I know this is hard, but

we’re here and we’re going to help you get through it” and then offered them tangible

support in the form of things like a snack basket so they could avoid leaving their baby

so much, a short class on how to advocate for their baby, a social worker meeting with

them to determine what kind of financial or educational scaffolds they could benefit from,

helping facilitate a family get-together with older siblings, or even just giving them a hug

it would have made all the difference