I went into spontaneous labor and was diagnosed with severe pre-eclampsia and ended up being admitted. The next night was terrifying and came with many complications, leading to a full day of laboring on Wednesday. On Wednesday, the nurse assigned to my care was Amanda, and I genuinely don’t think I could have received better care from anyone else. For 12 consecutive hours, she almost never left my room while I was going through a particularly difficult labor and was scared and nervous. I would drift off to sleep and wake up to Amanda reassuring me everything was okay and explaining where we were in the process and what to expect next. I was able to be extremely vulnerable without fear of judgment and felt extremely comfortable in the care I was receiving, despite feeling extremely sick, and she advocated for the things I wished for in my birth plan to the best of her abilities, despite how ill I was.

Upon her shift ending on Wednesday, she stated she wasn’t working the next day because of a class and that she would be back on Friday. I had my daughter on Thursday at 11:30 AM, and a few hours later, in recovery, Amanda came to visit me despite not working to see our baby and congratulate us, something I’ve never had done in my extensive medical history. On Friday morning, I found out she would be my nurse for the day and was immediately at ease. She came in throughout the day just to hold our baby and love on her, gave both me and her exceptional care, and never seemed bothered by anything. She even timed a specific test to be done right after I’d have my IV taken out so that I could shower, eat, and pump while knowing my newborn was in great hands while my husband was away. She gave my daughter her first bath and made it an educational but also memorable experience for us.

While Amanda was caring for me, I never felt judged or like I was a bother to her, and I was able to genuinely focus on healing while learning to be a mom with her guidance. From putting on my socks, to helping me roll over in bed during labor probably 50 times without complaint, to reassuring my husband he could go and do what he had to do and that she wouldn’t leave my side- and didn’t, Amanda will forever be a part of my labor story in a positive light during one of the scariest days of my life. I could not be more thankful that I had her as a nurse.