I am a Critical Care Nurse and first-time mother. As a patient in the MIU at Yokosuka about to undergo my first child-birthing experience naturally and unmedicated, I was very nervous and could feel my fear increase with every contraction. I was in my mid-latent stage of labor when Viktoriya first introduced herself as my nursing care provider. With her wealth of knowledge and experience, she immediately identified my growing anxiety and contraction pain,s offering both positive and encouraging feedback as well as various stretching, positioning, and movement techniques to better embrace and cope with the pain.

As I progressed toward the active labor stage, she would visit me multiple times per hour to make sure I was doing well and did not need anything. Those frequent visits provided me with immense comfort and reassurance. After the physician manually broke my water, my contractions increased in both strength and frequency at a rapid pace. Once I hit the threshold for active labor, Viktoriya was practically there with me the rest of the time. She helped me perform step-ups, bounce on a birth ball, side lie with a peanut ball, helped me into a warm shower, and provided heat packs, counter-pressure, and massage techniques to my lower back where I felt most of the labor pain.

Once it came time to officially push with my contractions, again, Viktoriya was there, and this time she did not once leave my side. She helped to elevate and abduct my legs during the pushing process, helped me shift to various positions for pushing comfort, including setting up a squat bar on the birthing bed and re-positioning the bed for all-fours, and would give me words of encouragement, especially when I felt defeated or wanted to give up. A nurse's job is already physically and mentally demanding, and so for her to be that proactive, involved, and positive despite her likely being absolutely exhausted meant the world to me.

To cap it all off, after she ended what was likely a long and tiring shift, she took an extra second on her way out to stop by my room to wish me well and a final congratulations, like my own personal guardian angel saying farewell. Viktoriya, in my opinion, as both a patient and a nurse, possesses all the qualities that the Daisy Award was intended for. She is confident, flexible, compassionate, empathetic, present, and proactive. A true nursing professional through and through and one that, in my opinion, every Labor & Delivery Nurse should emulate. I am certain I would not have been as successful with my first childbirth.

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When I arrived at MIU, I was in so much pain due to labor, and LT Baraya and LT Harbaugh moved so quickly in getting me checked in to ensure there was time for pain management before my baby arrived. During my Labor and Delivery process, both nurses answered all my questions and really worked with my husband and me to bring our beautiful daughter into the world.

Labor and Delivery is such a vulnerable space to be in, and when you have nurses and staff who truly show they care, it makes all the difference. Our night shift nurse Ms. Karalene, was truly so helpful with feeding and my care and ensuring my family had everything we needed during our night. This went a long way; something as simple as explaining the chair turned into a bed made all the difference for my husband and my very anxious 5-year-old. I felt very supported and can't say thank you enough to all the staff that I encountered during my stay at Yokosuka MIU. Thank you again!