‘Like an Angel’—Mom Honors Nurse’s Compassionate Care
‘Melanie was wonderful. I didn’t talk to her all these years, but I never forgot her face.’
For years, Stephanie Hanson didn’t talk much about her stillborn first child, Stephen. But when she did, she always remembered Melanie Chichester, BSN, RNC-OB, CPLC, RNC-IAP, FAWHONN.
My nurse Melanie, she’d say. She got me through the worst time ever.
In the early hours of that morning in 1998, when Stephanie already knew her baby was gone but still had to give birth, Melanie was a calming presence.
When it’s time, hold your baby, Melanie said. Take pictures. Leave with his footprints. Keep his hat and wristband.
Stephanie initially resisted. But Melanie’s gentle persistence convinced her it was the right thing to do.
It was. When Stephanie left Christiana Hospital, she carried memories and keepsakes of Stephen that would become central to her healing.
So would a chance encounter in 2024. Stephanie had remarried and had two more children, Tristan and Julia, now 19 and 16. At one of Julia’s volleyball tournaments, Stephanie struck up a conversation with fellow parent Mary Ciechanowski, APRN, ACNS-BC, an advanced practice nurse at ChristianaCare.
As they watched the game, Stephanie shared the story of Stephen’s birth and how her nurse, Melanie, had made all the difference during that devastating time.
“Melanie Chichester?” Mary asked. “I’m meeting with her tomorrow!”
The chance encounter set in motion a reunion between Stephanie and Melanie after 26 years, culminating in their participation in a recent Thank You Project event. Hosted by ChristianaCare’s Center for WorkLife Wellbeing and Patient Experience, the program reconnects patients with caregivers to express their gratitude.
A connection that endured
At ChristianaCare’s Newark campus, surrounded by family and friends, Stephanie thanked Melanie for her compassionate care during the most traumatic night of her life.
Stephanie recounted how she’d woken up feeling uneasy about the unchanged position her full-term baby was in from the night before and, after being admitted, the sense of dread as one caregiver after another searched for a heartbeat. Finally, a doctor sat down with her and confirmed the worst.
Much of the day was a blur until about 11 p.m., when Melanie’s shift started.
“She comes walking into the room, and there was just an air about her,” Stephanie said. “I felt like an angel was there, coming to help me get through this.”
Melanie took Polaroid pictures of Stephen, including one that was later used on his memorial card. She stayed beyond the end of her shift and personally escorted Stephanie at discharge to ensure she could leave the hospital with dignity and privacy.
“She was wonderful,” Stephanie said. “I didn’t talk to her all these years, but I never forgot her face.”
Gratitude all around
Melanie, who recently retired after more than 35 years in Labor & Delivery, is now a volunteer chaplain at ChristianaCare. Her career has been marked by her dedication to perinatal loss care, including her role in the Loving Arms Parent Support Group, her advocacy for caregiver education centered on perinatal bereavement care, and her involvement with the Infant, Maternal, and Perinatal Advance Care Team (IMPACT).
Her work has been recognized with the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses (AWHONN) and two ChristianaCare Daisy Awards for extraordinary nurses.
The Loving Arms Parent Support Group is a self-help group for parents who have suffered a loss.
Melanie hadn’t forgotten Stephanie or Stephen, either. She had held onto his memorial card for years and often shared his story in caregiver training sessions to emphasize the importance of creating meaningful keepsakes for grieving families.
With Mary’s encouragement, Stephanie and Melanie met for coffee and began discussing how their story could inspire others. Melanie invited Stephanie to share her story with a parent panel during a caregiver education session on perinatal bereavement care, and both agreed to participate in the Thank You Project.
A time of healing
At the Thank You Project event, Melanie presented Stephanie with a charcoal drawing of Stephen, based on a Polaroid she had taken.
“I am so grateful for Stephen’s presence as part of our perinatal bereavement education,” Melanie said. “I’m thankful for my colleagues who have advocated for bereavement education. And Stephanie, I’m grateful for you sharing your story.”
Since Mary reconnected them, Stephanie said she has found herself talking about baby Stephen more and more.
“Sharing Stephen’s story has lifted a weight off me,” Stephanie said. “I’ve found healing power in being able to talk about him.”
Jimmy Hanson, Stephanie’s husband, described how Stephen’s birthday in February had traditionally been a difficult time. But last February, Stephanie brought their children to Stephen’s gravesite for the first time.
“She’s found closure, Melanie,” Jimmy said. “Thank you.”
Do you have our next Thank You Project? If you or someone you know has had an exceptional experience and would like to say “thank you,” contact Patient Experience at 302-733-1379 or email Natalie Dyke.
To learn more about the Center for WorkLife Wellbeing and the work they do to support caregivers, visit here.