We have a party whenever there is a new baby in the family. It’s a miracle, and now is the time for the family to get together and coo over the newborn baby. Gisele Smith, on the other hand, didn’t have such experience because she was born in a hospital in the greater Boston, Massachusetts area. The nurse, Liz Smith, was taken aback to learn that the infant in question hadn’t received any visits in several months when she first met the child. However, that is only the beginning of the story of how this nurse ended up adopting a baby who had been left at the hospital by its biological parents.
What Happened When a Nurse Adopted a Baby From the Hospital Where She Worked
Gisele, a baby girl, was delivered early that year, in July of 2016. Gisele was born prematurely at 29 weeks to a mother who had used drugs while she was pregnant, and she weighed only 1 pound and 14 ounces when she was delivered.
Gisele was later transported to Franciscan Children’s Hospital in Brighton, Massachusetts, where she got care for a lung condition in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. She was eventually diagnosed with neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) (NICU).
Gisele’s birth mother and birth father did not visit her in the hospital after she was born, and neither did any other family members or friends. Gisele spent her first few months of life in a hospital, where the caregivers provided her with all of the love and care that she needed.
That is, up until Liz Simth, the senior director of nursing at the hospital, made the acquaintance of Gisele.
Liz had just been making her way down a corridor when she caught a glimpse of Gisele, who was only eight months old at the time. At that point, Gisele had been a patient at Franciscan Children’s Hospital for five months without receiving a single visit from a family member or friend.
According to Liz, Gisele’s brown hair in a curl and blue eyes drew the attention of the woman who was with her, and the woman asked the nurse, “Who’s this lovely angel?
After that day, Liz continued to pay Gisele a daily visit. She found out that the mother of the baby girl had used drugs like meth, cocaine, and heroin while she was carrying the baby.
This moment was really significant and significant for Liz. She stated that it was her reward at the end of a long day at work.
Although reunification with the birth parents was the desired outcome, the biological parents expressed a desire to give up their child. As a consequence of this, Gisele was taken into custody by the state of Massachusetts, and at the time that she met Liz, social workers had been looking for a family to provide a home for the infant.
Liz was able to become Gisele’s foster mom when she was placed in a home for abused and neglected children. Liz assisted in weaning Gisele off of the medicines that her biological mother had given to her when she was in her care as Gisele’s foster mother. Gisele was fed through a gastrostomy tube.
Liz reflected on her time spent fostering Gisele by saying, “I recall certain evenings, one in particular when she was hooked up to the feed and I was going by the mirror and the thought went into my head of losing her.” It was necessary for me to visit that place in my thoughts because it was still a reality, but doing so made me feel queasy. You can’t only adore a specific percentage. It’s imperative that you give it your absolute best.”
At that point, Liz came to the conclusion that she wanted to adopt Gisele.
Liz, who was just starting her 40s at the time, had never been able to have children. She had always wanted children, but because of her profession, she was unable to start a family right away.
Liz said the following with the Boston Globe: “My concept of family has always been that in my 20s I will get married, have children, and have a big family just like the one I grew up with.”
Unfortunately, none of the treatments she attempted, including in vitro fertilization (IVF), were successful. She was devastated at the prospect that she would never be able to become a mother.
“That was a bad day,” Liz shared about when she found out that the IVF wasn’t going to work for her, which is partially what makes it so special how this nurse adopted a baby who needed her as much as she wanted to protect and love a child. “That was a bad day,” Liz shared about when she found out that the IVF wasn’t going to work for her.
Gisele’s Adoption
And after Gisele had been in Liz’s foster care for a period of nine months, the birth parents’ rights were legally terminated, and Gisele was then able to be adopted. Therefore, the story begins when the nurse decided to adopt a child.
Gisele’s official name change took place on October 18, 2018, when she was officially recognized as Gisele Katherine Smith.
Liz Smith, Director of Nursing, knew from a young age that she wanted to follow in her mother’s footsteps and become a pediatric nurse. What she didn’t know is that her nursing career would lead her to find her daughter. Read more via @washingtonpost: https://t.co/SbQQGmrsHJ pic.twitter.com/VKrxIcuBzb
— Franciscan Childrens (@FranciscanHFC) April 4, 2019
Liz added that her own mother was the one who had encouraged her to lead a selfless life and she thanked her mother for that.
Liz elaborated by saying, “My mom was a pediatric nurse who always placed others before herself.” “As a result, I spent my childhood aspiring to work in the medical field.”
Liz stated this in reference to Gisele in particular when she remarked, “I felt that I needed to adore this child and keep her safe.”
And keep her safe, Liz did. Gisele maintained her steady progress toward maturation.
Looking back, Liz recalled that her daughter’s first word was “badoon,” which means balloon. “To this day, we continue to refer to it as that.”
Nevertheless, this does not imply that Liz had no feelings for Gisele’s biological family.
Liz remarked that “my gain was someone else’s loss.” “When you are experiencing this life-changing moment that someone else is as well, but in the opposite direction, it is impossible to convey the feeling that you are having. The final line is that it will have a catastrophic effect on another family.
Liz responded to a question concerning the adoption by saying, “When I realized that I was devoting everything I had to this child, who might not be a permanent part of my life, I was both excited and terrified.”
Gisele has reached the age of six today. Watch this YouTube video from shortly after the adoption took place to meet Gisele and listen to an interview with the nurse about how she came to adopt a baby: