A New Mom Was So Touched By Her Nurse, She Wrote a Poem and Lullaby to Honor Her
- Karinna Wagenaar experienced a difficult recovery following a C-section at Brightshores Owen Sound Hospital.
- During this challenging time, her postpartum nurse Amanda provided exceptional emotional support alongside medical care, creating a profound impact on Karinna's healing journey.
- In honor of Amanda, Karinna penned a poem that she later turned into a lullaby she sings to her daughter, Eleanor.
After delivering her daughter, Eleanor, via C-section at Brightshores Owen Sound Hospital in Ontario, Karinna Wagenaar found herself in a tough spot—physically, emotionally, and mentally.
"I couldn’t walk around, move freely, or even care for my baby the way I had imagined I would,” she shared with the hospital's newsletter. “I felt vulnerable and overwhelmed.”
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Enter Amanda, her postpartum nurse, who, according to Karinna, didn’t just check the boxes for routine care. Instead, she brought something extra—emotional presence and compassion, which we know can be just as important as clinical skills.
“She made me feel seen, safe, and myself again,” Karinna told the outlet. “Her energy, her calm, and her smile reminded me of the strength I didn’t know I still had.”
Karinna was so touched by the care she received from Amanda that when she got home, she penned a poem dedicated to her. And the story gets even more touching: Karinna turned the poem into a lullaby that she sings regularly to her daughter. Say it with us now: awwwwwww.
From Care to Connection
While Karinna's story is touching, of course, it also serves as an example of an aspect of nursing care that isn't always talked about, called 'care resonance.'
Care resonance is just a fancy way of saying your care sticks with patients long after they leave the hospital. As Karinna put it, “Her presence brought a calmness and warmth that stayed with me, even if the details from those days are hazy.”
What's interesting is that personalized, compassionate care goes beyond just feelings, too. As a 2025 article in the World Journal of Psychiatric Nursing explored, focused and compassionate care makes a difference in a patient's emotional state as well as their physical healing.
Karinna ended up returning to the hospital to thank Amanda in person, and their reunion represented what every nurse hopes to accomplish: a connection that lasted far beyond a patient's time in hospital care. (And what a difference a thank you from a patient can make!)
“I want people to understand that nurses play an incredibly human role in birth and recovery,” said Karinna. “They’re not just providing medical care — they’re supporting our emotions, our fears, and some of our most vulnerable moments. A simple thank you can mean so much.”
Nurses Need Compassionate Care, Too
The focus of hospital care is, rightfully so, on patients, but the truth is, nurses need their buckets filled up too. And a nurse who can feel like they are making a difference is a nurse who may find just a little bit of encouragement to keep going on a hard day.
For Amanda, reconnecting with Karinna and meeting baby Eleanor weeks after discharge was a rare and moving experience.
“It happens so little that you get to see your patients again a month down the road,” Amanda admitted. “To know that I made such an impact on their lives... It’s a humbling feeling.”
If you’ve been in the trenches of bedside nursing for a while, you know how rare it is to hear from patients after they leave.
This lack of feedback can add to the emotional exhaustion nurses face, especially in a field already stretched by staffing shortages and burnout.
So, the next time you’re feeling overwhelmed or wondering if your efforts even matter, remember Karinna and Amanda. You never know how your presence, your kindness, or your care might echo in your patients’ lives long after they leave your unit. And who knows? Maybe one day, your impact will inspire a song too.
You can listen to the song Karinna wrote for Amanda, 'Eleanor's Lullaby,' on the Owen Sound Current website.
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