Kayla Kana, BSN, RN, RNC-OB

I met Kayla Kana as I was preparing for a scheduled C-section for my second son. In my first conversation with Kayla, I shared with her my experience having an emergency C-section at the same hospital less than two years prior for my first son: something I absolutely did not want to repeat.

Kayla was relatable, empathetic, and just a downright lovely voice on the other end of the phone. I felt heard, and she offered positive feedback and reassurance. She directly addressed how we could make this a different, and hopefully less painful, procedure and general experience.

Upon meeting Kayla in person, I found her to be as genuine, pleasant, and reassuring as on the phone. I didn't feel rushed; I felt heard; I felt validated, and I left having a much better outlook for the next morning's surgery.

Kayla had offered to come by and see me the next morning; I wasn't sure if she meant she'd pop by in pre-op, or walk me down to surgery, or something else. I had little expectation of how much time she'd give me but was very grateful for her offer. Ultimately, she was my definition of going above and beyond. She met me in what I considered the pre-op room; she walked with me to surgery, and then figuratively held my hand through the entire surgery.

I don't like needles, and on account of being a hard stick, I've had some decently awful experiences. So, I was dreading the IV and the lidocaine/epidural parts of surgery. Kayla helped prepare me mentally for what getting the IV should be like and assured me that the nurse scheduled was fantastic. Kayla also physically held me during the lidocaine/epidural and made sure that I was positioned best so that it wouldn't hurt.

All of that alone made me think the world of Kayla. But she gave even more of her time to stay with me and my husband during the surgery. She offered a playlist because we hadn't prepared our own. And she helped rally the room around us to make sure this delivery was far superior to my first.

I am incredibly grateful for Kayla. Not only did she execute the pre-admission appointment without having to stick me twice, but her compassion and dedication to making sure this was a positive experience for me made all the difference. I am forever thankful for her gift.