My baby just turned a year old about a week ago, so I thought I would make a quick post about the gifts I made for the nurses when I had her. This was my second baby, and after having my first I had learned all the great and wonderful things the amazing nurses do for you AND for your baby while you're in the hospital. So I wanted something nice to thank them with.
These were very simple. I bought a bunch of things that I felt I would enjoy if I were working a 12-hour shift in a hospital. Almonds, candy, gum, granola bars, chap stick, mints, etc. I put it all in a clear bag, added a cute card that was from my baby saying "Thanks for taking such good care of my Mommy and Me! Love, Baby Nielsen". I cut the letters for 'Thanks' out of cute paper on my Cricut and I added some cute ribbon too!
My best friend's mom was a labor and delivery nurse for 30+ years and I asked her how many nurses I would have/gifts would I need. She told me they work 12-hour shifts, and that Mom has a nurse and baby has a nurse in the nursery. So that's 4 nurses a day, a normal stay is two full days, and then plan on showing up mid-shift. If I remember right, I made 10 gifts.
I made them about 8 weeks in advance. Before I was too exhausted from being pregnant and huge in general and it kept me busy and distracted me from other pregnancy anxieties and stresses. I then packed in my hospital so they were ready to go when baby came.
I got the best care while I was in the hospital! I like to think that the first nurses spread the word about how great I was and that the following the nurses took extra good care of me. I did have one overnight nurse that I didn't care for too much, so I did not give her a Thank You Gift, but overall, I think my nice gesture made my experience that much better.
