In August, I had my second son at Riverside. The morning of my birth, I sent my husband to work for a training an hour away. I was definitely in denial that I was in labor. I had an appointment with my doctor at 10, and she immediately sent me to labor and delivery because I was 5cm dilated! Due to not having my husband with me right away and having Alaina greet me with a smile was something I definitely needed. She asked me what my goals were and talked through how we could make those things happen. I didn’t have the best birthing experience with my first son in 2022 and had some trauma from it. Alaina went ABOVE and BEYOND to walk and talk me through every step of the way. She made me feel safe and heard while I was alone. My husband finally made it, and we made the decision to get an epidural and break my water. A lot of my anxiety came from my negative reaction to the epidural the first time. Alaina walked me through the process and told me the steps she would take to make sure it didn’t happen again. Due to the anxiety, I was a sobbing mess while doing the epidural. Some of the people in the room asked me if I was in pain because I was crying so hard. I couldn’t even speak, and Alaina looked at them all and said, “She did not have a good experience with the epidural her first birth, but we have a plan to change that this time around. She is so strong and can get through this.” To say I was grateful for someone I had just met that day and had full confidence she was going to take care of me while I was in the most vulnerable state a woman can be is an understatement. Looking back at my second son’s birthday, it was EVERYTHING I have ever dreamed of, and it would not have been possible without Alaina.