Ashley Youngfelt
August 2021
Ashley
Youngfelt
,
RN
Birth Center
Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital
Downers Grove
,
IL
United States
Ashley knew the name we had picked out for our daughter and had spent time getting to know all of the details of my wife and I before she had even walked into the room.
Our daughter was born at 8:48 PM. While I am not a man of faith, part of me believes that we were supposed to be there at that exact time. While all of our nurses, physicians, and techs were all very good, Ashley was beyond anything we could have hoped for. I should start with the fact that my wife and I have been trying to have a child for over three years. In 2019 we had a miscarriage at 14 weeks; we had just told everyone. It was devastating. With this last pregnancy we were incredibly cautious and always nervous including our trip into our scheduled induction.
While all of the nurses we had prior to Ashley were very good, from the moment she walked into the room she felt like she was a family member who was holding our hand through the entire process. She made us laugh and made us feel at ease in a time when we didn’t think it was possible. She explained everything to us and made sure we knew that she had all of our interests at the forefront of everything she did. She knew the name we had picked out for our daughter and had spent time getting to know all of the details of my wife and I before she had even walked into the room. This personal touch meant more than I can articulate. In all honesty, even in writing this recommendation I am having a difficult time not getting emotional; that is the impact that Ashley had on us.
My wife labored for what felt like an eternity, but Ashley never made us feel like we were inconveniencing her or that there was anything else in the world more important than the safe delivery of our child. My wife struggled mightily with getting the right technique for pushing but Ashley never got upset and instead used it as an opportunity to use all of the ‘tricks of the trade’ until our daughter arrived. I must have been visibly upset by the site of delivery blood on my wife or that my daughter was being examined by the Neonatologist. Ashley in the midst of chaos calmly walked over to me to tell me that I could walk up to my daughter and that my wife was totally safe. I cannot put into words how much this meant to me after an awful year of COVID and the tragedy of a miscarriage. Ashley was the person that we needed in the delivery room.
In the past few days we’ve brought our daughter safely home. I cannot help but look at her every once in a while and think of how indescribably fortunate we were to be under the care of Ashley. It is my firm belief that some people are just called to a profession it is in their DNA; I am forever grateful that Ashley was led to her calling and that she was there for the three of us. At the end of our time with her, we just hugged instinctively; without family present at the birth, she seemed the next closest thing. If my wife and I are fortunate enough to have another child we will do everything we can to make sure that we will be under Ashley's care again; I can think of no recommendation greater than this.
While all of the nurses we had prior to Ashley were very good, from the moment she walked into the room she felt like she was a family member who was holding our hand through the entire process. She made us laugh and made us feel at ease in a time when we didn’t think it was possible. She explained everything to us and made sure we knew that she had all of our interests at the forefront of everything she did. She knew the name we had picked out for our daughter and had spent time getting to know all of the details of my wife and I before she had even walked into the room. This personal touch meant more than I can articulate. In all honesty, even in writing this recommendation I am having a difficult time not getting emotional; that is the impact that Ashley had on us.
My wife labored for what felt like an eternity, but Ashley never made us feel like we were inconveniencing her or that there was anything else in the world more important than the safe delivery of our child. My wife struggled mightily with getting the right technique for pushing but Ashley never got upset and instead used it as an opportunity to use all of the ‘tricks of the trade’ until our daughter arrived. I must have been visibly upset by the site of delivery blood on my wife or that my daughter was being examined by the Neonatologist. Ashley in the midst of chaos calmly walked over to me to tell me that I could walk up to my daughter and that my wife was totally safe. I cannot put into words how much this meant to me after an awful year of COVID and the tragedy of a miscarriage. Ashley was the person that we needed in the delivery room.
In the past few days we’ve brought our daughter safely home. I cannot help but look at her every once in a while and think of how indescribably fortunate we were to be under the care of Ashley. It is my firm belief that some people are just called to a profession it is in their DNA; I am forever grateful that Ashley was led to her calling and that she was there for the three of us. At the end of our time with her, we just hugged instinctively; without family present at the birth, she seemed the next closest thing. If my wife and I are fortunate enough to have another child we will do everything we can to make sure that we will be under Ashley's care again; I can think of no recommendation greater than this.