Daily Acts of Kindness Can Save a Life: The Power of Speaking Up and Doing Good
By Abby Ammons
Brave Women Series - Abby's Story
It was the scariest time in my life. I have written of it often, as it was a defining point in my marriage, motherhood, life, and faith. But this is not a story of my own bravery; this is a story about a stranger’s simple act of bravery that saved a life.
When I was 10 days postpartum from having my firstborn, still sore and exhausted and unsure of everything, my tiny daughter refused to eat. She became lethargic and her skin turned gray as I frantically tried to get her to nurse. We raced her to the hospital, panicked.
The hospital can be an intimidating place, and time seems to move impossibly slow within those halls. When we were finally given a room and seen by not one but two doctors, our hopes of finding compassion and aid were dashed. As we held our listless newborn, we were made to feel foolish; they told us we were simply overreacting as new parents.
"As we held our listless newborn, we were made to feel foolish; they told us we were simply overreacting as new parents."
“Some parents bring their first baby in for every little cough!” When we pointed out her gray complexion to the nurse, he blamed the fluorescent lights. My face flushed hot, and I wavered between the feeling of anger from the belittlement and sheer panic as I recognized we were going to be discharged.
By the grace of God, the same nurse who declared the lights to be the culprit for our infant’s lifeless tint decided to bring a nurse from the Labor and Delivery floor to teach me how to nurse. Though the discharge paperwork was ready and she wasn