Today we’d like to introduce you to Erica Hetrick.
Hi Erica, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I am a wife and mother of two boys who loves all things Jesus, babies, coffee, and travel. My call to neonatal care began in high school when I knew I wanted to become a NICU nurse, even though I did not yet have the resources to leave home for college. I worked as a nanny while attending evening classes and later completed the LPN program at Lake Technical College. In 2003, after marrying my husband, I entered the RN program at Hillsborough Community College and, in 2005, achieved my dream of working in the NICU at Tampa General Hospital.
For nearly 20 years, I have cared for the smallest and sickest infants in Level IV NICUs. During that time, I earned my MSN from the University of South Florida and became an APRN, traveled as a NICU nurse in California and Washington, and eventually returned home to Mount Dora in 2019. During the pandemic, I cared for newborns in the well-baby nursery at AdventHealth Orlando while also practicing in the NICU.
In 2024, I took a leap I had long joked about but never truly imagined I would take: I left the hospital setting and opened my own APRN practice. Crib Calls was created from both my love of my career in the NICU and my heart as a mom. Both of my children spent time in the NICU, and with my second son I experienced preeclampsia and HELLP syndrome, requiring delivery at 32 weeks to save both of our lives. I saw firsthand the very real need families have to be at home in the fragile weeks after birth, and understand how challenging it can be to travel with newborns after delivery or surgery.
Crib Calls began by offering newborn home visits and virtual visits for established pediatric patients, and has since grown to include primary care services through partnerships with two direct primary care pediatric practices. While I was nervous to make the transition to pediatric primary care, The Lord faithfully led me here. Now, I am grateful for the opportunity to care for newborns and pediatric patients of all ages.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Over the years, my struggles have changed. In the beginning, they looked like night shifts, working holidays, and the challenge of fitting full-time work, school, and clinical hours into the same 24-hour day. Over all the years, there has always been the responsibility that comes with caring for very sick neonates, the constant hope that I am making the very best decisions for each baby, and the grief when one of them passes away. Experiencing HELLP syndrome at 32 weeks and walking through my own child’s NICU stay changed me even more. Returning to work after that required relearning how to balance my roles as both mother and provider. Most recently, the stress was different. It was in opening my own practice in 2024 and learning to trust God with the unknowns of business ownership. Choosing obedience to the Lord over comfort was not easy, but it has brought more peace and joy than I ever imagined and I am thankful.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Crib Calls, LLC?
Through Crib Calls I provide in-home visits for the first week of life. These visits are 45min to 1.5 hrs long and include assessments, breastfeeding assistance, transcutaneous bilirubin testing, and 7 days of unlimited telehealth for any questions. First time parents particularly benefit from this service as their text messages and phone calls come directly to me and I can video chat as needed. As an added service, I am now available in-office for pediatric care to those in membership with Lyndsey Sutherland’s Winter Park office two days per week.
What quality or characteristic do you feel is most important to your success?
I think others would say it is how deeply I care for the families I serve. My work has never felt mundane; it has always been about real babies, real parents, and real life stories. From the NICU to opening my own practice, I have always been committed to treating each baby and child as I do my own children. I listen to parents and we have conversations about the best plan of care for their child. I support parent choices in how they provide medical care to their child throughout the years.. My commitment to caring guides my medical decision-making, my business choices, and the way Crib Calls runs. I want parents to feel truly heard and valued, I want to enter into a relationship of trust with them while I care for their newborns and children.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.cribcalls.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cribcalls/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61558886612247
Image Credits
Sally Watson
