As I sit staring at my new grandson I cannot help but marvel at the art work of God. This little man came into the world weighing 7.3 lbs. and was 20 inches long. His fingers are long and strong. He has big blue eyes and a pouty little mouth. Black hair covers his crown and perfect little feet top off his long legs. He is the perfect combination of his mother and father with a spakling of my son and husband. What I marvel at the most is the instinctive moves he makes~ he turns his head naturally and starts rooting for food when he is hungry, he curls his little fingers around anything that touches his hand. The wonder of his innate instinct to eat, to stop eating, to urinate and have a bowel movement is another reminder of how wonderful creation is.
The other thing that I love to watch is the way he cries if hungry and immediately stops when food is provided. The need for human contact is another area of wonder~ the way that holding him close and talking to him calms him instantly…. We humans need very few things to survive…we are strong and resilient~ but we all need food, clothing, contact and shelter to survive well.
In my first semester of nursing I recall learning this principle…that patients need those basic things as well to heal and to survive and to survive well. The powerful tool of human contact is one we should all remember. The patient that is fed, given safe shelter and clothing, good medical care and medications will still NOT do well if there is no human caring involved…esp. if they have no caring family in the patient’s world. The elderly patient that comes in from a nursing home, no family in the area, and in need of medical intervention does much better when the nurse takes the time to sit with them, give them a bath, a soft massage and doing all of this while gently talking to them. NICU babies will not thrive, and in some cases die, without human contact…behavioral health children do much better while in our care in the ER if the nursing staff has the time to sit with them and talk with them…
I like this phase of my life and my nursing career that has me thinking back and learning lessons. I like that I am in a place of my career that I have the skills and the job that at times gives me the chance to sit and bond with a patient~ giving them the human contact and caring that they need. I thank God today for my healthy, beautiful grandson, my family and friends and my nursing career. I thank God for the continued lessons that he places before me every day.
