I want to take a moment to recognize my experience on the Labor floor on the morning of 3/14/25. We went in for an induction at 5am for our second child. Upon arrival I was already progressing. Around 7am, right at shift change, I started to have more frequent and painful contractions and when I called for my nurse, she came right in. This was the first time we had met, as it was shift change, but she jumped right in and assessed the situation.

At this point, I was unable to get an epidural due to availability and I was ready to deliver. My plan going into my delivery was to have an epidural, but that was not in the cards. I was not, by any means, calm, due to the circumstances. However, my nurse remained calm and handled the situation perfectly. My doctor was unable to get to the delivery, so one of the physicians on the floor did the delivery.

While waiting for a physician, I had such intense pressure I needed to push, and she remained right by my side through the whole process despite a doctor not being there yet. In my mind at this point, I felt comfortable if something were to happen like deliver prior to the doctor getting there, that she would know exactly what to do safely. She had delegated everything within the room and had everything set up ready for delivery within minutes.

After just a couple pushes, we delivered a healthy 7lb 9oz baby boy. I will forever be grateful to have had her as a nurse and this will be an experience we will never forget. After delivery we were able to wind down and laugh about the experience. We discussed her path for becoming a midwife, and I can tell you that every single person who would be under her care will not regret it. As a Nurse Practitioner within Genesis myself, I am honored to know we have nurses like her within the Genesis Health Care System.