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Maternity nurse was born to help new parents at OSMH

When Sarah Allen was young, her mom had books asking the kids what they wanted to be when they grew up; 'My answer was always a baby nurse'

Editor's Note: To mark Nurses Week, today we turn the spotlight on a local nurse.

From tiny animals to caring for tiny humans, Sarah Allen has always had a knack for taking care of others. 

Despite starting a career in the veterinary field, Allen ultimately found herself in nursing, graduating as a registered practical nurse (RPN) from Georgian College in 2009.

“When I was in kindergarten, my mom kept those baby books through all your school years that asked what do you want to do when you grow up... and my answer was always a baby nurse,” she says with a laugh.

Allen has spent her career as working in the maternity, pediatric and neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at Orillia Soldiers’ Memorial Hospital.

“I was in the vet world for 10 years and that’s what I thought I really wanted to do. I had a family friend and she said, 'No, you need to go into 'people nursing. You’re a people person, you need to go into human nursing not animal nursing.'

"So I did, and that’s where I ended up," Allen says. 

Even before starting her own family, Allen always had an interest in moms, babies and that side of the health-care field.

“I couldn't see myself dealing with older people and I couldn’t really see myself, as awful as it sounds, dealing with sick people,” she says frankly. “Going into maternity, people aren’t sick. They’re creating families and having babies and, for the most part, they’re healthy.”

Allen loves the feeling of being able to teach new parents how to take care of their new baby in the few days they’re on her unit.

“I am not an expert by any means, but I can give them some little tips and little tricks…  like warm the blankets up in the dryer and after the baby is fed and cleaned, wrap the baby up and put them to bed," she says. "It works and it keeps them asleep and mom and dad get a little bit of a quiet time."

Allen believes she's a better nurse now that she's a mother herself.

“You just think of things differently and how things worked for you and your own babies," she says. "Also, when a mom and dad are in here, there are probably at least four other nurses who've talked to them, so it’s just telling them, ‘We will give you information and you take what is best for your family’.”

Being a working mom is challenging enough, but being a shift worker  with a partner who is also a full-time paramedic and who also works shifts  has forced Allen to be creative in how she plans her life.

“My calendar is very colour-coded (to show) where people are going and what people are doing,” she says. 

Since starting her family, Allen has transitioned to a part-time role at Soldiers' Memorial, something that allows her to have the best of both worlds.

“Nursing gives me that out, where I get to use my brain and think of other things and help moms in the journey that I’ve gone through," she says. 

After the birth of her son, Allen says she experienced post-partum depression, an experience which has ultimately allowed her to be more aware of the potential risks a new mother faces when working with her patients. 

“It can be sneaky. You might think you’re OK, but do a checklist and make sure you have an open person to talk to," she says. 

Like every Canadian over the last 14 months, how Allen and her colleagues do their jobs has changed to a certain extent, but it’s not necessarily been for the worse.

“We can’t have visitors in the hospital, which is sad, but in some cases it’s a blessing because moms and babies need their rest," she says. "Moms and babies need to be able to figure each other out, because this is a new human that you’re trying to get to know, and all of a sudden friends and family keep coming.

"It's nice because the families are a family unit,’ Allen adds. “They’re in here for such a short time and it’s allowed the nurses to really get to know and talk to their patients and interact with them without being interrupted by visitors.”

The visitor restrictions have been the most difficult to witness in the NICU, she says, because only one parent is allowed in to see the infant.

“If mom and dad are both still in the hospital then they can both go in, but after they’re discharged, only one parent can come in," Allen says. "It’s heartbreaking because you want mom and dad to be a support for one another and to be with their brand-new baby.

"If they’re in (the NICU) for a long period of time, that’s a long time for a parent to come in each day and only be allowed one person. It’s really hard to see and really hard to tell people," she adds. 

"Moms are trying to recover, but are feeling guilty not going in to see their baby that day, but really they just want to stay home on the couch. That’s had a huge impact with family life for preemie babies or just sick babies.”

Ultimately, caring for and trusting the people you work side-by-side with every day makes a huge difference in whether or not you enjoy your job, says Allen, who credits her team for creating a work environment she looks forward to going to each shift.

“Our unit is so close (and) we work so well together. We care about each other and we care about each other’s lives," she says. "We are such a close unit that I think that’s been a huge helping hand in professional growth because you can ask anybody anything. We really work well together and that’s a huge bonus.”


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About the Author: Nikki Cole

Nikki Cole has been a community issues reporter for BarrieToday since February, 2021
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