Rachel Comeau
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“The nurses gave us courage to keep going.”
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Being pregnant for the first time is a joyful event, but when Rachel Comeau and her husband, Denis Comeau, discovered they were having triplets, she will admit she was quite overwhelmed.
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“My first reaction was we have to change cars,” she says with a laugh, “Then afterwards, I started to panic when I realized it was a high-risk pregnancy. My husband was super eager and The Moncton Hospital was fantastic at calming me down. They were very good at coaching us through those first emotions and helping us get a grasp as to what we were getting into.”
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“I worked for 20 weeks then they put me off on modified bed rest, and at 28 weeks I was on full bed rest. At 32 weeks, they discovered that Baby B was no longer growing, so they decided that they would admit me immediately to have a C-section and delivery the following morning. I didn’t sleep that night.”
“My husband had set up the baby room a week before we found out we were going into labour. I remember we just looked at each other and he said, whatever happens, we did everything we could and our medical staff was fantastic.”
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After the successful birth of all three babies (Olivier, Xavier, Daphnée), Rachel stayed at the hospital for 26 days, and truly appreciated the support team of healthcare workers around her.
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“The nurses were just so compassionate. They would sit with me while the babies were waiting to wake up and help me give them baths. I said you’re part of our family now. What you did, changed our lives.”
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Having triplets is an emotional experience, having them delivered with COVID protocols in place made it that much more difficult, but the last time her dad came to visit was one of the most heart-wrenching times in the journey.
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“My dad’s an Oncology patient at The Moncton Hospital, and he was coming to hold one of my baby boys through feeding time. Just as he arrived a nurse came in - you could tell she had emotion in her eyes - and she had to tell us that no visitors were allowed in the hospital anymore and that he had to leave immediately. It broke his heart. I stood at the door and saw him walking down the hall with his head down.”
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“The following morning when I came in, right beside my babies’ beds there was a collage that the nurses had done with each baby and a poem to grandpa. They laminated it so my dad could safely bring it to his chemo treatment the next day.”
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They’re just amazing, like there’s not a better adjective out there to just describe them, they truly care and they put patients first at all time and they put patient’s families first as well especially being in a situation like Covid.”
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“My husband and I were so grateful towards the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit that on International Prematurity Day, we decided to launch a campaign with the Friends of The Moncton Hospital Foundation that’s called Tiny Dreams”
“We wanted to bring extra funds to the NNICU, to help parents see the positives, not just having, beeping machines in the background as your memory. So we created a keepsake that you build from beads that represent your journey, reminding you that you did have a little warrior and that you are also a warrior as a parent that there was a team of healthcare professionals behind you every step of the way.”
“This year, we launched the Tiny Dreams campaign and raised over $7,000 in a two-and-a-half-month span!”
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Once she was back home with the babies, Rachel and her husband were so appreciative of how the community rallied around them.
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“Our neighbors were dropping off meals on our doorstep, people sent us diapers, and did grocery runs. Everyone was always checking in to make sure we were okay because they knew we couldn’t have that extra help during the pandemic. That’s one thing about COVID – we’ve seen people come together to try to be there for each other and make sure no one was left behind!”
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“Everyone at The Moncton Hospital does more than just their job, they’re humans caring for other humans. They actually love what they do.” – Rachel Comeau, Mother of triplets (former NNICU patients)
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Right now, you can ensure everyone in our community receives the best care possible by giving to the Friends of The Moncton Hospital Foundation.
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To make a donation to the current campaign in honour of someone you know or someone you want to give special recognition to - a loved one, a frontline worker, the healthcare team, a volunteer - click the ‘Donate’ button below. On the "Donation Amount" page, select "I am supporting: Current Campaign”.