For Megan and Ava Young, the bond of motherhood resonates every day in their family and work lives. The mother and daughter work together in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at John Hunter Children's Hospital, providing specialised care for sick and premature newborns.
The pair spoke to the Newcastle Herald about life working inside the NICU to mark Mother's Day. In many ways, NICU nurses take on a surrogate mother role for the babies, as well as supporting mothers in their time of need.
A Shared Passion for Neonatal Care
Megan is a nurse unit manager at the NICU, where she has worked for almost 20 years. 'I started working here as an undergraduate assistant in nursing,' she said. Ava, 23, has a dual degree in nursing and paramedicine. She has worked as a casual at the NICU since August, while also working as a NSW Ambulance paramedic.
She said Mother's Day was 'a day to show love, but it also makes me realise how awesome my mum is.' 'I have the best mum in the world, so it's about making her feel special,' she said.
Inspired by Her Mother
Ava said the care her mum showed her growing up made her want to care for others. 'Growing up, I was always so proud knowing my mum was a nurse and out there helping people,' she said. 'I wanted a role where I could do similar work to what she was doing. Obviously there are hard days, but seeing her come home after little wins or when a baby got discharged, she was happy and had so much reward from it.'
Megan said the NICU was 'always something that interested me.' As an empathetic person, she felt she could provide support and compassion to families in 'such vulnerable situations.' 'In my previous life working in banking, I didn't feel like I was making a difference,' Megan said. 'Every day I come to work, I go home feeling like I've done something to help a staff member or a family in need.'
The Emotional Journey of NICU Work
Megan said the NICU staff 'do a wonderful job.' 'There are traumatic and hard times they have to manage. Our staff go through the full gamut of emotions,' she said. 'The way they show up at work is something I'm really proud of as a manager.' She said the job also had 'beautiful moments and little glimpses of humanity.'
Some babies are at the NICU for six months. 'We become a part of their family and journey. It's a privilege to do the job we do,' Megan said. At work, Ava said her mum was 'kind of everyone's mum.' 'I see how much the staff trust her. They speak so highly of her,' she said.
A Family Affair
Megan and Ava's mum and grandmother, Marilyn Godwin, is a volunteer 'baby buddy' at NICU. 'We have had one shift that we've all been on together,' Megan said. Ava joked that Marilyn tells people 'this is my granddaughter - you've got the best nurse looking after you.'
This Mother's Day, the Young family celebrates not only their personal bond but also the incredible work they do together, caring for the tiniest patients and their families at John Hunter Children's Hospital.
