May 2025
Courtney M
May
,
BSN
Labor & Delivery
UnityPoint Health - Meriter
Madison
,
WI
USA
Things got scary for a little while, but Courtney was right there, continuing to reassure us that, regardless of what happened, we were in good hands and would be okay.
Courtney, from the moment she walked in the room to start our induction of labor for our baby, was nothing but kind and supportive to my husband and me. She made a consistent effort to stay in the room to provide labor support and tend to all of our needs as they came. I will always remember the back rub she gave me when I was laboring without medication for hours on end. She was right there with me for every contraction that came and went. We ended up going past her shift into the night, and she so graciously took us back in the morning for her next shift.
She had us in mind for her hairdo that day. Courtney had one pink and one blue scrunchie in her hair to celebrate the fact that we did not know what our baby would be. That was a special touch to the morning to start our day knowing that our nurse was so supportive of us and had us in mind the moment she woke up to start her shift that day. She even came with a gift that I still wear every day to this day - a charm bracelet that says “mama” on it, crafted with beautiful colors. Again, something that goes above and beyond what an ordinary nurse would do.
After I got comfortable with an epidural, the midwife let us know that the positioning of our baby was not in an optimal way to continue labor in an efficient manner. Courtney did not let this discourage us and yet again stayed in the room for hours to move me into many different positions that each was intentional to best support our baby to spin. This reflects her drive to cultivate a knowledge base beyond what the base nurse orientation required to learn how to best position her patients beyond just turning them side to side with an epidural. Some of the positions she even had to use her own body to keep me on the bed, but I knew I was (literally) in good hands and was able to relax fully as she rocked me back and forth.
Before we knew it, the hard work of positioning me paid off, and our baby had spun into a better position and was now much lower down in my pelvis, getting ready to push. This triumph was soon traded off for our baby taking over the show by deciding to have a low heart rate on the monitor. Things got scary for a little while, but Courtney was right there, continuing to reassure us that, regardless of what happened, we were in good hands and would be okay. I needed to hear this reassurance during this time, which I know can be hard for the nurse to provide when emergencies arise, but Courtney prioritized supporting us emotionally on top of all the urgent tasks that had to be done to keep me and my baby safe. It was soon determined that the safest option for our baby’s birth would be a C-section, to which a “Crash c-section” was called overhead. My heart sank. But not once was there a moment that Courtney stepped away, only when the anesthesiologist had to physically have her move when we were in the operating room, to support me, ground me, and talk me through everything that was going on amongst the chaos that was occurring around me as we prepped for both major abdominal surgery and the birth of our child. Before I knew it, our baby was here, a little girl.
Courtney was able to follow us through to recovery and transitioned us to our postpartum room, and at the end, she gave me the biggest hug. I just started bawling and melted in her arms, and she held me close. She also went out of her way to give my husband a big hug, which I am grateful she did. Never have I been so scared and experienced such a rollercoaster of emotions and physical sensations in my life. I do not think I could have lived through and experienced all of that without such a caring, compassionate, and oh so loving nurse like Courtney right by my side through it all.
I have some physical and emotional healing to do after this experience. But I know that because Courtney was there as our nurse that we received the best possible care and support regardless of the outcome. And it is on that note that I will be forever grateful for our experience with the birth of our daughter at Meriter’s Birthing Center, and be able to heal over time when I reflect on my birth story for the years to come. I have heard that labor and delivery nurses are angels, and now I can 101% attest that Courtney definitely has some wings.
She had us in mind for her hairdo that day. Courtney had one pink and one blue scrunchie in her hair to celebrate the fact that we did not know what our baby would be. That was a special touch to the morning to start our day knowing that our nurse was so supportive of us and had us in mind the moment she woke up to start her shift that day. She even came with a gift that I still wear every day to this day - a charm bracelet that says “mama” on it, crafted with beautiful colors. Again, something that goes above and beyond what an ordinary nurse would do.
After I got comfortable with an epidural, the midwife let us know that the positioning of our baby was not in an optimal way to continue labor in an efficient manner. Courtney did not let this discourage us and yet again stayed in the room for hours to move me into many different positions that each was intentional to best support our baby to spin. This reflects her drive to cultivate a knowledge base beyond what the base nurse orientation required to learn how to best position her patients beyond just turning them side to side with an epidural. Some of the positions she even had to use her own body to keep me on the bed, but I knew I was (literally) in good hands and was able to relax fully as she rocked me back and forth.
Before we knew it, the hard work of positioning me paid off, and our baby had spun into a better position and was now much lower down in my pelvis, getting ready to push. This triumph was soon traded off for our baby taking over the show by deciding to have a low heart rate on the monitor. Things got scary for a little while, but Courtney was right there, continuing to reassure us that, regardless of what happened, we were in good hands and would be okay. I needed to hear this reassurance during this time, which I know can be hard for the nurse to provide when emergencies arise, but Courtney prioritized supporting us emotionally on top of all the urgent tasks that had to be done to keep me and my baby safe. It was soon determined that the safest option for our baby’s birth would be a C-section, to which a “Crash c-section” was called overhead. My heart sank. But not once was there a moment that Courtney stepped away, only when the anesthesiologist had to physically have her move when we were in the operating room, to support me, ground me, and talk me through everything that was going on amongst the chaos that was occurring around me as we prepped for both major abdominal surgery and the birth of our child. Before I knew it, our baby was here, a little girl.
Courtney was able to follow us through to recovery and transitioned us to our postpartum room, and at the end, she gave me the biggest hug. I just started bawling and melted in her arms, and she held me close. She also went out of her way to give my husband a big hug, which I am grateful she did. Never have I been so scared and experienced such a rollercoaster of emotions and physical sensations in my life. I do not think I could have lived through and experienced all of that without such a caring, compassionate, and oh so loving nurse like Courtney right by my side through it all.
I have some physical and emotional healing to do after this experience. But I know that because Courtney was there as our nurse that we received the best possible care and support regardless of the outcome. And it is on that note that I will be forever grateful for our experience with the birth of our daughter at Meriter’s Birthing Center, and be able to heal over time when I reflect on my birth story for the years to come. I have heard that labor and delivery nurses are angels, and now I can 101% attest that Courtney definitely has some wings.