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Motherhood arrives by phone for UNM nurse
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Even for an experienced mother and nurse, parenting a medically fragile child straight out of emergency care was a daunting experience for Olivia Pe帽a.
In 2022, Pe帽a was working her shift as a registered nurse at the University of New Mexico Hospital when she received a call that changed her life.
A baby girl, Addison, had been born prematurely in January 2022 and was in UNMH鈥檚 neonatal intensive care unit, a state official told her.
Would Pe帽a be interested in providing foster care for Addison?
The UNM Children鈥檚 Hospital pediatric nurse visited Addison in the NICU and was startled to find a tiny newborn connected to a fleet of medical devices.
鈥淚 fell in love with her the second I saw her,鈥� Pe帽a recalled.
鈥淚t was scary, with all the cords and wires and monitors and everything that was happening,鈥� she said. Addison weighed only 2 pounds and was bleeding from both sides of her brain.
鈥淪he was actively having seizures when I met her, so that鈥檚 pretty scary,鈥� Pe帽a recalled.
Pe帽a and her husband had been foster parents for seven years and had ample experience raising infants, she said.
Even still, Addison鈥檚 health problems made this decision extraordinary.
She reached out to her 鈥渟upport team,鈥� including her husband, mother and two children, ages 12 and 15.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 jump into anything I don鈥檛 feel my family can鈥檛 handle,鈥� Pe帽a said. 鈥淏ecause if anybody doesn鈥檛 feel confident and able to help care for this child, I won鈥檛 be able to do it.鈥�
Everyone in the family was 鈥渙n board,鈥� she said.
Pe帽a began making regular visits to the NICU, she said.
鈥淚 went and saw her every day, even if it was for 15 minutes,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 wanted her to know my voice and my laugh and how loud I am, because I鈥檓 a pretty loud person.鈥�
The personal attention was a 鈥済ame changer鈥� for Addison鈥檚 medical condition.
鈥淔rom that point forward, you can just see changes in her,鈥� Pe帽a said. 鈥淪he went from being this little skeleton baby to start getting her plump cheeks and her plump body.鈥�
While Addison was in the NICU, her birth mother made a decision to allow Pe帽a and her family to raise the girl. The mother notified Pe帽a in a late-night email.
The decision was highly emotional for both women.
鈥淚 know for her to make that sacrifice and that decision was so difficult for her,鈥� Pe帽a said of the girl鈥檚 biological mother. 鈥淪o on one hand, I was so happy. On the other hand, I was so sad.鈥�
After six months in the NICU, Addison was discharged and is living with Pe帽a and her family. Pe帽a is in the process of adopting the girl through the New Mexico Children, Youth and Families Department, a UNM spokeswoman said.
The NICU holds a 鈥済raduation鈥� for its young patients when they are released.
鈥淲e got her this big old fancy pink dress, and we dolled her all up and we put on her little graduation hat,鈥� Pe帽a said. All the medical staff turned out, waving pompoms and cheering as Pe帽a and Addison left the unit, she said.
鈥淪he has such a wild and upbeat personality,鈥� she said of Addison. 鈥淚t鈥檚 just amazing to see how happy and loving and outgoing she is. I鈥檓 very lucky because I don鈥檛 have to let go of her.鈥�
