I’m a first-time mom whose birth plan took a turn in the opposite direction that I had wanted. I wanted to stay home and labor, wait until the last possible minute to be at the hospital, and take no pain medications/epidural. I ended up having to do all my laboring in the hospital due to my water breaking first at home.

After laboring for 24-30 hours, making a difficult decision to start Pitocin and feeling scared, Eden was the nurse who cared for me during the difficult transition into Pitocin’s toll on my body! Eden was the best nurse I could have ever asked to have that day. She was extremely patient, made frequent checks while battling with stubborn equipment, but stayed calm and reassured me that nothing was a problem for her, and there was no need to worry. She was an advocate for me and my pain management and kept me updated on what to expect next while I was laboring. She kept a soft tone of voice and a very gentle demeanor, but held her confidence in whatever she was doing, which helped me focus on my role in labor. I completely trusted her.

Finally, toward the end of my labor, contractions were happening fast, and she was in and out of my room, grabbing nitrous for me. She used counter pressure on me when she knew it was not working, and completely reset my monitors for me when I wanted to labor in the shower in such a short period of time. Again, she constantly had to battle with the medical equipment because nothing seemed to be working perfectly for us that night. After setting up all the equipment quickly, I decided I wanted an epidural. She was understanding of my decision and acted just as fast to get it for me, even after all the work she did to get the other pain measures. She showed kindness, grace, and again advocated for me as a true nurse does. I want to say thank you a million times over for Eden and her professionalism, patience, care, and loving nature she had for me during my most vulnerable time.

Thank you, Eden, and keep being the best nurse for yourself and your patients.