By Andrew Bogue
Helpless.
That’s how Katie McGee, RN, describes how she felt during her first pregnancy, which culminated in a six-week stay for her preemie twins at the Rush University Medical Center neonatal intensive care unit.
“That experience is so gut-wrenching. It really stays with you. Your baby is so fragile,” she recalls.
At the time, she was working as a pediatric nurse at another healthcare institution. She stepped away from her role to focus on her health and the health of her soon-to-be-born twins.
At 27 weeks, Katie learned she was in labor, beginning an experience in the NICU that would change the course of her life, her career, and eventually, her daughter’s.
A complicated birth, a lasting connection
After being admitted, Katie’s care team worked for two weeks to stop her labor. At 30 weeks, twins Emma and Patrick were born. Premature birth comes with risks, and Katie remembers the added worry of having twins.
“I was 25 at the time. Not only was I experiencing all the emotions of a new mom, but I was upset that this was the way my children would be starting their lives,” she said. "I had this worry deep inside that they would not survive.”
And yet, it was not the fear inside, but the care they received that would define this young family.
“I really bonded with the nurses and felt like we were in the best hands. I always felt heard,” Katie says. “Our physicians pulled up a chair and kept going until all our questions were answered.”
In fact, one practice empowered Katie to feel more in control of her situation — breastfeeding. "Being able to provide my breast milk to them made me feel helpful, like I was doing something to propel their health.” After her stay in the NICU, it was this connection between mother and child that would drive the next step in Katie’s career.
Halls of hope
Thirteen years and five children later, Katie decided it was time to return to nursing — this time at Rush. She came back not as a patient, but as a clinical research nurse and lactation consultant, supporting families facing experiences like her own.
When you enter the Rush NICU, you’re greeted by the Hall of Hope, a wall filled with photos of babies who were born prematurely and received care at the medical center.
“I still remember the day when I came back. When that elevator door opened, I started crying,” says Katie. “I knew why I was here: to be that bridge between the healthcare professional and the parents at the bedside.”
'Unique and special'
But Katie wasn’t the only one returning to Rush. Her daughter, Emma, whose photo still hangs on the Hall of Hope, now passes through that same hall as a nurse.
“If I see Emma walking by, I’ll say, ‘Hi honey! How’s your day?” and people will do a double take,” Kaite laughs.
“It is very unique and special,” says Emma, RN2, NICU. “It has made the work I do even more meaningful. I also work with several nurses and physicians who took care of me, which is a surreal experience.” (Brother Patrick chose another line of work.)
In addition to sharing small moments of joy with her mother, Emma shares her story with patients when appropriate. “It’s a full-circle experience, getting to provide that same comfort and support [my parents received] to my patients and their families.”
When Katie watches her daughter at work today — a former Rush preemie who began her life in the NICU — she thinks about the hope Emma gives to other parents. “If she can become my baby’s nurse, my baby can do that too.”
