| "We take care of the mother and we take care of the baby in the uterus," Esther Nam said. Each day, she faces emotionally charged situations that require caring, understanding, and special nursing skills. Esther Nam goes above and beyond her duty to not only give her patients the medical care they require, but also the emotional support that they so desperately need in difficult times. "When a person comes here, she needs medical help," Esther Nam said. "But she also needs emotional help. A nursing job is a lot like a mother's job. [My patients] need support and someone to talk to. I like to talk to them when they have problems." Esther Nam does what she can to comfort and support mothers and babies who face birthing complications. She also works to inform her patients about issues like postpartum depression and baby care. She volunteered her time to translate Meriter's after-birth guide, "A Parent's Comprehensive Guide to a Baby's First Weeks," into Korean. She also volunteers her time to visit patients in their home to give educational and emotional support. Sometimes, Esther Nam faces the difficult task of comforting mothers and families who have lost an infant. It is a painful task. "There isn't anything you can say that will make them feel better," she said. "You just have to be there for them. When I come home, I always pray for them." Esther Nam is no stranger to adversity in her own life. Born and raised in Masan, South Korea, Esther Nam's father passed away when she was in high school. She had long planned on becoming a nurse, but had to forego studying at the college of her choice due to the financial constraints that arose after her father's death. She was able, however, to go to a less expensive school in Seoul where she received a nursing degree. Working as a nurse in South Korea had its challenges. "The work load was a lot heavier in Korea than it is here," Esther Nam said. "While I generally have around three to four patients [at Meriter], I had 10 or more [in Korea]." Esther Nam was married in 1982 and moved to the United States with her husband the following year so he could pursue an advanced degree in mathematics in Baltimore, Maryland. She moved here with little English skills, little money, and a baby who was only two months old. Esther Nam faced the challenges of not only being a new mother, but also facing a new culture that was extremely foreign to her and her family. If that weren't enough, her husband was in a serious car accident soon after their arrival and suffered numerous injuries including a broken rib. They were living in a motel room at the time and did not receive the proper medical care they needed for fear that they would lose their visas. "We stayed in a motel for two months,"Esther Nam said. "We spent all our money and my husband couldn't study." Esther Nam&'s husband lost his scholarship because he was too sick to study and they had to do what they could to get by. "It was so challenging and so scary," she said. Esther Nam eventually passed a state exam to become a licensed nurse in Maryland in 1986. The family then moved to Madison so her husband could once again pursue his degree. He went on to receive a Ph.D. from UW-Madison and is currently a professor at UW-Whitewater. Meanwhile, the couple had another child who was delivered at Meriter Hospital. It was during that time that Esther Nam was inspired to pursue a job at the hospital in the birthing center. Prior to that, she was working at a nursing home. "I delivered my baby at Meriter and had the most wonderful nurse," she said. "She really inspired me." While Esther Nam gives her all at her job, she said it is always her family who comes first. With two children, a daughter in medical school, and a son in high school, Esther Nam holds on tightly to her roots when it comes to motherhood. "I am a traditional Korean mom," she said. "My first priority is always my family." |
| Younghee Esther Nam Portrait of a traditional Korean mother as a modern American nurse by Laura Salinger |
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| Most babies enter this world healthy and without major complications. There are times, however, when this is not the case. New moms and/or their newborn babies sometimes face complications that are serious and require extra care. It is during these times that the competence and dedication of their doctors and nurses is of utmost importance. It is a big responsibility and one that Younghee Esther Nam does not take lightly. Esther Nam is a high-risk obstetrics nurse at Meriter Hospital, known as a premier regional center for high-risk Obstetrical-Neonatal care. She is charged with caring for mothers and babies who face numerous complications during and after birth, including high-risk labor, pre-term labor, caesarean sections, and pre-eclampsia |
| Younghee Esther Nam |
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