EP 32: NICU Nurse Colleen Frost on Community and Kindness
With years of experience as a NICU nurse, Colleen provided so much first-hand knowledge. Her perspective on the importance of community and support, and her beautiful comments about her own mother have really stuck with me.
NICU nursing, birthing overseas, community. We talk about the variety of reasons a baby might go to the NICU, and how to support the families that undergo the emotional experience.
After being invited by the department head to join their team, Colleen has now been a NICU nurse for over 30 years. What started out as a happy accident turned into a passion and commitment to her position- she loves the babies and their families.
For families who have babies in the NICU, she emphasized how everyone’s journey is different and the importance of celebrating the little steps. Colleen detailed the process of welcoming the family into their baby’s care plan, and the benefits of parental involvement during the stay when possible. She touches on resources and support options for parents through the hospital, including how the department case manager can help connect families to professional help. She also spoke beautifully about how friends can better be there for families navigating this difficult time.
In addition to the highly intense technical side of being a NICU nurse, Colleen also acknowledges the challenges of the emotional intensity that come along with her position. As the leader on her unit, she has found ways to navigate the emotional ups and downs of the job. She mentions how supportive other nurses are of each other and notes that “sometimes you just gotta cry it out.” Colleen also highlighting the joy and fulfillment that comes from her work and talks about the inspiring experience of seeing babies grow and thrive, watching their families meet milestones, and helping them go home.
“They’re so resilient, and some people are incredibly positive in difficult situations. It’s just inspiring at times. I don’t know if I can do that. I don’t know if I could behave the way you’re behaving if I was in the same situation.”
She recounts the times she’s seen families years later, with children that have grown up to be big and strong and creative, and she considers those moments to be the most rewarding part of being a NICU nurse.
As a mother of four herself, Colleen had her first two children overseas in a military hospital in Japan. She discusses the difference in her birth experiences and the joy of being their mother.
“Motherhood is probably my greatest joy in my life, my kids certainly are my greatest joys. They’re always your kids, no matter how old they get, no matter how big they are, you’re always mom.”
Knowing her kids personally, I can say they are incredibly kind people and kindness is a word I think of when I think of Colleen. She stresses the importance of extended family as an essential part of shaping who her kids are today, and praises her own mother for having a significant impact on all of their loves. She’s glad to have a community of support from people she can trust along the way to help her through the ups and downs that come along with parenting.
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