Eleanor’s Lullaby: A Mother’s Song of Thanks for Her Nurse’s Lasting Impact
After a C-section, a local mother wrote a poem-turned-lullaby for the nurse who helped her heal. Read their story and hear the song.
When Karinna Wagenaar gave birth to her daughter, Eleanor, by C-section at Brightshores Owen Sound Hospital, she found herself in one of the most physically and emotionally challenging moments of her life.
“I couldn’t walk around, move freely, or even care for my baby the way I had imagined I would,” she recalled. “I felt vulnerable and overwhelmed.”
But amid that difficult recovery, a nurse named Amanda provided not only clinical care, but something Karinna describes as far more profound: calm, compassion, and strength.
“She made me feel seen, safe, and myself again,” said Karinna. “Her energy, her calm, and her smile reminded me of the strength I didn’t know I still had.”
That experience moved Karinna so deeply that, once home, she did something unexpected: she wrote a poem in Amanda’s honour. That poem became a lullaby, one Karinna now sings regularly to baby Eleanor, a daily reminder of the quiet but powerful role one nurse played in their story.
Earlier this month, Karinna and Eleanor returned to the hospital to reunite with Amanda and personally thank her. The visit was emotional — for both women — and offered a chance to reflect on how a few days in hospital can leave a lifelong imprint.
“I was shocked and touched”
Amanda said the reunion was unexpected and meaningful. “It happens so little that you get to see your patients again a month down the road,” she said. “To know that I made such an impact on their lives… It’s a humbling feeling.”
When she learned that Karinna had written a poem, and then turned it into a song, Amanda admitted she was taken aback.
“Honestly, I was shocked and also so touched that Karinna took time out of her life to express her feelings through poetry and song,” she said. “Life with a newborn is very busy, and finding a routine can be difficult — but Karinna seems to do it all, and I admire her for that.”
The emotional work of nursing
Caring for patients after a C-section comes with its own challenges, Amanda explained. “It can be very difficult emotionally when your birth plan doesn’t go exactly how you want it to,” she said. “Karinna was very strong and determined.”
Amanda sees nursing not just as a profession, but as a relationship. “As a postpartum nurse, you do it all — you provide emotional support, education, and medical management to keep both mom and baby safe and healthy,” she said. “We are there to be the shoulder you can lean on and the hand to hold when you need it.”
Karinna echoed that, emphasizing how much the emotional support mattered. “To be honest, those few days are a bit of a blur because of everything I was experiencing physically and emotionally. But I do clearly remember feeling an immediate sense of trust and peace around Amanda,” she said.
“Her presence brought a calmness and warmth that stayed with me, even if the details from those days are hazy,” she added.
A song that’s still being sung
For Karinna, expressing herself through poetry and music was a natural response. “When I was younger, my mom had us write poems at Christmas,” she said. “I didn’t realize then how powerful words could be, but I do now.”
Music became a way of processing the experience and giving thanks. “Songs are like poetry, and they speak to people in ways nothing else can,” she said.
Listen to Karinna Wagenaar’s song for her nurse, Amanda:
Now, when she sings the lullaby to Eleanor, the meaning has deepened. “It reminds me of how far we’ve come, how quickly my daughter is growing, and how much Amanda’s kindness helped shape those early moments,” she said.
Recognizing the unseen
Returning to the hospital to thank Amanda in person wasn’t easy. “I was nervous… it was my first time sharing my poems outside of my family,” Karinna said. “But the moment I saw her, the nerves disappeared. Amanda has a natural calm about her — a presence that immediately puts you at ease.”
Both Karinna and Amanda hope the story highlights the vital, often unseen work of nurses.
“I want people to understand that nurses play an incredibly human role in birth and recovery,” said Karinna. “They’re not just providing medical care — they’re supporting our emotions, our fears, and some of our most vulnerable moments. A simple thank you can mean so much.”
Amanda, too, wants the public to see beyond the medical tasks. “My team and I care not just for patients’ physical wellbeing but also their emotional wellbeing, and that can sometimes be the hardest part after birth,” she said.
“Nurses are your biggest advocates and supporters. Being that person for someone — in a difficult or even a very happy time — is unlike anything else.”
Amanda is a nurse in the Women & Child Care Unit at Brightshores Owen Sound Hospital.
Wonderful song and wonderful that a nurse is recognized for the work that she does every day!