12.09.2025 14:30
Pediatric assistant doctor Nurdan Hasırcılar, who was on duty in Ankara, spoke after images of her waiting by the bedside of a critically ill baby in the neonatal intensive care unit without sleeping until morning gained attention on social media. Hasırcılar said, "The most messages came from families with babies in the neonatal unit. There were those who said that such a video was comforting after the neonatal gang."
Dr. Nurdan Hasırcılar, a 25-year-old pediatric assistant who has been working at Gülhane Training and Research Hospital for 2 years, waited by the side of a critically ill baby in an incubator in the neonatal intensive care unit for hours on a night shift about 2 months ago.
"WHAT YOU SEE IS 15 SECONDS OF MY ENTIRE NIGHT" Hasırcılar shared the footage taken during this time on her social media account, writing, "What you see is this 15 seconds, which was my entire night. It was a critical patient, and I was uneasy even taking my eyes off for a minute. It is very difficult for a parent to entrust their child to someone they do not know at all, and I want to do this properly." The footage showing Hasırcılar following every movement of the baby without taking her eyes off the incubator attracted great interest.
"IF I TOOK MY EYES OFF FOR A MOMENT, THE CONDITION COULD QUICKLY WORSEN" Pediatric Assistant Dr. Nurdan Hasırcılar stated that the condition of the baby she was watching was critical at that moment, saying, "The values like fever, pulse, blood pressure, and respiratory rate were in a position that could change rapidly. If I took my eyes off even for a moment, the condition could quickly worsen. I didn't want to leave its side. I occasionally checked on my other babies. The nurses would also inform me if something happened with the other babies. I wanted to stay with that baby because it was the most critical patient of that night. On one hand, there were hypertensive values. Of course, we have human needs like resting during our breaks. But I didn't sleep that night. I closed my eyes occasionally; but the monitor was in front of me. When something happened, there was a sound alert. I didn't sleep that night, but that baby could have been my baby, or it could have been the baby of someone I know. After all, since it is a mother's baby, just as I would show care if it were my own baby, I wanted to approach that baby in the same way," she said.
"THERE WERE THOSE WHO SAID SUCH A VIDEO IS HOPEFUL" Dr. Nurdan Hasırcılar mentioned that she did not expect her post to gain much interaction, saying, "I felt very comfortable morally because I stayed by the baby's side that day. I wanted to convey this feeling to people. I shared it with the intention of saying, 'Look, your baby is here, but we are also here.' I posted it about 1.5-2 months ago; but it went viral in the last few days. I never expected it to reach this point, I am very surprised. I have been actively using social media for about 4-5 years, but this is the first time it has happened like this. After this post, there were those who said, 'I had medicine in my mind, I will choose the pediatrics department.' This made me happy. Recently, there was an incident with the 'newborn gang.' Most of the messages came from families whose babies were in the neonatal unit. They said, 'My baby was also there, we saw how dedicated you are.' At the same time, there were those who said that such a video after the newborn gang was good and hopeful," she said.
"THERE ARE MANY DEDICATED DOCTORS AND HEALTH WORKERS" Dr. Nurdan Hasırcılar stated, "We spend more time here than at home, we see our patients more than our families. Especially, we have patients who stay in the service for a long time, and inevitably we form a bond. When the outcome is not good, it feels as if we have lost a relative. I think one of the hardest parts of being a doctor is this. Sometimes bad events come to our agenda. But there are many dedicated, self-sacrificing doctors, health workers, and nurses in the healthcare sector. Knowing that they exist reassures us both in terms of work and makes us feel better knowing that they trust us," she said.