Making precious time possible
For most families, welcoming a baby is a joyful milestone. For others, the path looks different.
When a family arrived at UCHealth Parkview Medical Center facing the heartbreaking reality of a life-limiting diagnosis, nurse Taylor Rolen helped them focus on something they thought might not be possible: time together at home.
Rolen, who has worked at Parkview for 13 years and in Labor and Delivery for the past 11, learned that the family expected their newborn would remain in the hospital for end-of-life care. Instead, after delivery, it became clear going home with hospice care could be an option.
Rather than accepting the usual path, Rolen began searching for another option.
“We really didn’t know what the timeline would look like,” Rolen said. “It could have been days or it could have been months.”
The situation was unusual. It happened over a weekend and required coordination among multiple teams. Working closely with a remote social worker and a local hospice provider, Rolen helped arrange home hospice services on short notice so the family could return home together.
The hospice team met with the family before discharge and established a plan for ongoing support.
But Rolen’s care extended beyond coordination.
She helped create keepsakes for the family, including hand and foot impressions and a memory box filled with resources and messages of support. The box included information about grief services, postpartum care and resources designed to help family members navigate the difficult days ahead.
“We always try to give families something tangible they can hold on to,” Rolen said.
After the family returned home, Rolen called to check on them and offer support.
“I was really just checking in to see how she was doing because it was such a difficult situation for everyone involved,” she said.
Although Rolen has helped many families experiencing loss, this was the first time she had coordinated a discharge home with hospice care for a newborn.
Her willingness to navigate unfamiliar circumstances reflects the same dedication that first drew her to Women’s Services.
“I love that I get to be part of what is often the best day of someone’s life,” Rolen said. “It’s one of the most important days for a family.”
Labor and Delivery nurses balance many responsibilities, from caring for mothers before and after birth to monitoring babies who cannot yet speak for themselves. The work is demanding and highly specialized, Rolen said, but moments like this reinforce why she chose the profession.
For this family, Rolen’s efforts created something invaluable: the chance to spend precious time together at home. Through compassion, creativity and determination, she helped turn an uncertain situation into meaningful moments that otherwise might not have been possible.