"Our visit to the Special Care Nursery Box Hill Hospital"

Our newborn daughter was admitted with jaundice and dehydration at 3 days old, to the Special Care Nursery at Box Hill for 2 days. As this is our first born, and both my family and in laws live interstate, we were extremely anxious and unsettled with this news.

From the moment we walked through the doors (me in tears!), we were warmly greeted by Nancy, who was extremely calm and empathetic. Our whole experience at the SCN was incredible, and in hindsight, a blessing in disguise. We received so much support from each and every staff member, not only regarding the jaundice, dehydration and breastfeeding, but also on the simple things like soothing a newborn, that we had no experience with. The dehydration in particular was a big struggle, as we went so long without having any wet nappies, and I struggled with breastfeeding. When you are sleep deprived, it really seemed like the end of the world, but the staff were so encouraging, respectful and so lovely towards us, and to our daughter. They answered all our medical related questions with knowledge and empathy.

I'm sure that the staff face much more complicated and serious cases than ours, and it wouldn't be an easy job at times (particularly with the shift work!), but there was never any indication of stress or tiredness. Each staff member knew what needed to be done, and nothing was too much trouble (such as moving the big armchair to our corner so that I could elevate my swollen feet while I fed my daughter).

As I mentioned, each and every staff member were wonderful, but I would like to particularly highlight Nancy, Ros, Deb, Steph and Jacquie, as we spent the most time with them.

In terms of the facilities, we were so impressed with our room (with double bed, fridge and ensuite - very similar to staying in a nice hotel!), all the items that were provided to us to care for our daughter (nappies, breastfeeding bits and pieces etc.). It was great not to have to worry about any of that stuff, and to have a nice quiet space to retreat to when our daughter was sleeping.

We are are truly grateful to the staff for getting us through a very tough experience in which we were able to walk away confident and grateful. Although I was a little sad to say goodbye!