Being a labor and delivery nurse at the Women's Corner, I knew that when I found out I was pregnant with my second child I wanted to deliver there with my fellow coworkers. I had delivered my first child at a different hospital and despite being a nurse there, I was treated very poorly as a patient. I ended up having a cesarean section and as a result of having a traumatic birth experience, ended up with postpartum depression for over 2 years. The girls at the Women's Corner knew my story and my fears about having another baby. Throughout my pregnancy, I talked to them about my wants and needs during delivery, but tried to remain realistic. I wanted to try to have a vaginal birth after cesarean this time and even if it didn't happen, I wanted to at least have a chance to give it a shot. I wanted to wait for labor to come so that I would have a higher chance of success, but unfortunately, my blood pressure went up and I had to be induced at 37 weeks.

Having America as my nurse was literally the most life-changing experience. She came in as cheerful as ever and showed so much determination to help me succeed in having the birth experience I longed for. She listened to what I wanted, gave me strength and hope, and most importantly kept me in the loop of communication so I always knew what was going on. She was honest with me about how my contractions were, how baby was reacting, as well as how the prognosis looked. She changed my position every 45 to 60 minutes, helped me get through the pain when my epidural was wearing off, and never gave up on me. That is the biggest thing. Writing this brings tears to my eyes. She was constantly in my room.

After a long day without having much cervical progression, the doctor gave me 2 more hours. Despite her shift being over, America insisted she stay with me. She prayed over me and was determined to keep going. Come 9 pm, I was still the same and we had to go back for a repeat c-section. Those words broke my heart, but I asked for a few minutes to talk to my husband about it and be able to soak in the words I didn't want to hear. Those few minutes helped me understand and accept my fate, something I didn't have with my first birth. America took photos for me, which allowed my husband to be completely in the moment with me while welcoming our daughter into the world. She stayed by my side throughout even though she was scheduled to come in to work the next day.

I cannot put into words how absolutely grateful I am for America. Because of her, I was given the best shot possible to try for a VBAC, I have not suffered from postpartum depression at all this time around, and most importantly, I feel completely healed of past traumas. I want to thank America from the bottom of my heart because she made more of an impact than she can imagine. Even though things did not go as planned, I had the best laboring experience and birth I could have possibly asked for.