Special day for nurses
Neonatal carers’ work recognised
SPECIAL Care Nursery associate nurse unit manager Wendy Carlish celebrated International Day of Neonatal Nurses with her colleagues at the Toowoomba Hospital yesterday.
Mrs Carlish and the other nurses of the maternity ward marked the day with a lovely morning tea.
International Day of Neonatal Nurses was started by the Council of International Neonatal Nurses to appreciate the specialised work they do.
Mrs Carlish has worked at the Toowoomba Hospital in neonatal care for more than 20 years.
She said the day was not about giving themselves a pat on the back.
“It’s about sitting back to consider what we do as neonatal nurses, how we look after babies in our own town and how babies are looked after across the world,” Mrs Carlish said.
“I love being able to bring the family together. It can be stressful, especially if it’s their first-born.”
The Toowoomba Hospital maternity ward usually has between 50 to 60 babies in its care each month.
Mrs Carlish said the unique element about neonatal nurses was how they responded to the babies’ cues.
“Each baby is an individual and we have to respond to the way they behave to help them grow and adapt to their environment because a lot of these babies are born early,” she said.
Toowoomba Hospital registered nurse Hannah Bensch is the newest nurse to work in the ward.
Ms Bensch said she started to work in neonatal nursing in February as part of her graduate program.
“I have always had a passion for neonatal nursing,” Ms Bensch said.
“It’s really rewarding being able to help the families through the rough times.”