Shauntavia came on during the day shift, and such a blessing she was. She actually had picked up an extra shift and was not originally supposed to be there. I will be forever grateful she chose to come to work and be my nurse that day. I never told anyone this, but I was very nervous that day. I desperately wanted a vaginal delivery but was okay with a C-section if it came down to it.

Shauntavia came on and reassured me that it would all work out. She brought the energy but also a calming presence to the room that I needed. We laughed, we joked, and she got me to 6 cm! I also knew she had another patient, but I never once felt neglected or ignored. In fact, she made me feel like I was her only patient, even though I knew this was not the case. As a nurse, I know how difficult a task this is.

Though I would have loved for Shauntavia to have been the nurse who helped deliver my baby, it ended up happening in the middle of the night. But the moment I got my sweet baby girl into my arms, all the emotions came flooding through me. For those who have had miscarriages, sometimes the pregnancy doesn’t feel truly real until you hear that first cry or when you finally get to hold your baby in your arms. And when I finally held my baby girl, I thought of Shauntavia because I knew that moment would partially not have been possible without her. This is why I will be forever grateful. Thank you for that day!