Ajha Thibodeaux, RN

There are many trials and tribulations that come during labor and delivery. Most of the nurses involved in this process are simply selfless shepherds guiding us down the path into motherhood. Some more than others, yet further still, there are a very chosen few who can only be described as angels among us. One such angel is named Ajha. She is a nurse in Labor and Delivery at Ochsner's Lafayette General. She wasn't specifically our nurse, but she assisted our nurse at the most decisive moments needed during our labor, which could've left us with a lifetime of regret or a lifetime of joy.

She started by learning and owning our birthing plan. All natural. No meds. At all costs, no epidural. If it was our plan, Ajha made it her plan as well. That culminated in an integral moment when, at 6cm dilation, my wife could no longer take the pain. Defeated, in the unending fires of labor, she looked at me, teary-eyed, and told me she couldn't do this. I asked her what she wanted to do, already knowing her response. Epidural, she told me. It hurt to hear those words. Not because I would've thought differently about her, but I know she would've thought differently about herself, forever. The only thing I can't defend her from is herself, but I will always and forever support her decisions with utmost confidence.

In turn, we then advised our less experienced nurse that my wife wanted an epidural. The nurse left the room to consult with her peers and begin the process. As my wife is in labor agony, lying saddened and defeated, Ajha walks back into our room with our nurse. She says, "We will start the process for the epidural, but it will take time, so this is what she needs from us." She continued speaking like a well-seasoned tactician of the labor battlefield. "This is what you're feeling; this is why you're feeling it; this is what I need from you; and this is what we are going to do." She laid it out, all while making it clear that, in the end, all choices are ours. She worked tirelessly: pushing, pulling, encouraging, teaching, correcting. She knew our plan, and thankfully, although not knowingly, we were going to stick to it. She commanded the room with a calming, encouraging, yet vital voice.

Ajha and my wife willed our birthing plan to fruition. Then, there he was. Our little baby. Perfect in every way, lying on his mother, who was also perfect in every way. Moments like these happen daily across the world. People at the pinnacle of their own battles, where strangers can become their angels, leaving lasting impacts in their lives, forever. Thank you, Ajha, and thank you, DAISY, for a way to capture these most important moments.