I came in for an induction on Monday evening. The first nights were rough as the process began. Fast forward to Wednesday morning during shift change, when Alyssa and T walked into the room. From the beginning, they seemed very caring and friendly. I knew I was in good hands. Once I was 10 cm dilated, we started the pushing process. 

Fast forward an hour, and I was told the baby was face up, so it was going to be a little harder and longer to push him out. They were very encouraging in letting me try different positions to try and get things moving. We were now going on 2 hours, and I was feeling defeated as I knew nothing was progressing. They talked me through each contraction and push so calmly. During each break, we would talk and joke around about things, which made it feel so much easier and distracting. We listened to music, and it felt like we had been friends forever, the way we were talking to each other. 

We then got to 3 hours, and I had to make a tough decision about how I wanted to get my baby out because he was stuck. Alyssa made sure I was comfortable and let me know that it was my decision and to do what I felt was right, and to not feel pressured into doing something I wasn't comfortable with, which I thought was really important for my care. During the final stretch of pushing and my baby having to be vacuumed out, T and Alyssa were by my side the whole time, encouraging me through the toughest last parts of my baby boy's delivery alongside my husband. To have two pregnant women next to me during that moment felt so empowering. They were also very nice and kind to my husband, J, and reassured him of anything that was happening when it did. 

When we moved to maternity, 3 hours went by, and no one showed up. T came in to visit, and I told her we hadn't seen anyone yet. She didn't even hesitate to start taking care of me. From getting me up after the epidural wore off to going to the bathroom for the first time, she didn't even think twice before helping me. She also knew how tired we were and made it a priority that we got sleep. I couldn't have asked for better nurses during my son’s delivery. The whole process just felt so right despite the pain, and I wish I could have them for all my future babies' deliveries. The rest of the team was also great, though I can’t think of everyone’s name. I hope T and Alyssa know how much of an impact they made on me and that I couldn't have done this whole thing without them. My husband and I want to say thank you from the bottom of our hearts, as the moment was very traumatic for all 3 of us, but having you two as my nurse made the whole thing feel better and made us feel more comfortable during the situation. So, thank you both again so much. We couldn't have asked for better care.