On March 3, I was admitted to Labor and Delivery for the birth of my first child. Admission was pretty routine, and I got settled into my room. Initially we had a nurse that wanted to maintain continuous fetal monitoring even though the first half hour had been without incident. This would have limited my movements and was contrary to my birth plan. About an hour or two after our arrival, we were given a new nurse, Rebecca (Becky) Shermer. From the very start, Becky was a breath of fresh air. She immediately jumped on board with our birthing plan, allowing me to come off the fetal monitor, move around the room, and labor in the shower. As labor progressed, I wanted to move to the tub. Throughout labor, as I moved from the shower to the tub and back to the shower, Becky allowed for spot checking of fetal heart tones so that I could continue to follow my birth plan. She was so encouraging and made each member of my birthing team (my husband, mother and doula) feel that they were an important part of the birthing process. She not only took amazing care of me and the baby but also the birthing team. As labor continued past 12 hours, Becky found food for my husband and mother so they could continue to support me and didn't have to leave to go get food. Probably one of the things I will never forget is how Becky defended my birthing plan when a first year resident pushed me to get an epidural during active labor. Becky spoke up, explaining that, though I was in pain, that I had expressly stated that I did not want an epidural.

After delivery, Becky supported bonding between me and my baby during the Golden Hour. She also made sure I had dinner and that it was delivered to me on 8 East, since we ordered so close to change of shift. Every single member of my birthing team commented on how amazing Becky was. Our doula, who has helped women at other area medical centers, commented that she now understood why so many of her fellow doulas love working with women at VCU Medical Center. As health care providers ourselves, my husband and I, appreciated Becky's attention to detail, her desire to meet our needs and wishes, and her unwavering dedication to making the birthing process as safe and enjoyable as possible for me and the baby. She supported all of spiritually, emotionally, and physically. I truly believe God placed her there to help make the birth of our sweet daughter such an amazing event. Thank you Becky!