As a first-time mother, my OB discovered that my baby was breech at my 39-week appointment and scheduled an ECV for the following day. Understandably, I was apprehensive about the procedure and its likelihood of success. From the moment we encountered her at the hospital, Cara put my husband and me at ease. She explained the procedure to us, talked us through all of the preparatory work she had to do to get me ready for it, and kept an eye on my husband during the procedure itself knowing that he was nervous. When my baby's heart rate dropped to 60 bpm and it looked like an emergency C-section was going to happen, she made sure he got out of the OR and gave him updates on both the baby and me as the OBs decided whether or not they would need to operate. When the baby's heart rate stabilized and my OB decided on induction, she talked us through what that process would look like and even showed us the printout that showed the deceleration in our baby's heart rate so that we could understand exactly what had happened.
She accompanied us to Labor and Delivery after we were released from the PACU, and helped me work towards an unmedicated labor because she knew that's what I really wanted. While my spinal wore off, she helped me place a peanut ball and when it had finally worn off she talked me through various positions I could labor in. The OB let me go as long as possible without augmenting labor with Pitocin, but when that had to happen, Cara helped me deal with my disappointment. I could tell that she wanted to help me have as close to the labor as I'd envisioned even with all of the unexpected obstacles that had popped up. Throughout this time, she continued to go above and beyond her duties in reassuring my husband, a nervous first-time father who had not planned on even being in the laboring room with me, but since the Coronavirus had limited our doula options, was there to support me without being prepared for it. When she had to go off shift that evening, she wished us luck but told us she expected us to deliver that evening and that she would stop by postpartum to meet our little troublemaker. My labor continued throughout the night and since I was exhausted and had been awake for over 24 hours, I needed an epidural to relax enough to dilate fully.
I was still laboring when Cara came back on shift the next morning and seeing her come back in the room was the jolt of encouragement that I needed to feel like I could still give birth even though my plans for an unmedicated birth had changed. When my OB checked me and told me I was 10 cm, Cara celebrated as if she'd won the lottery and made me feel so encouraged and up for the hard work of pushing. She let me try all of the various pushing positions, gently coaching me through them, and giving me positive feedback to keep my spirits up. During the actual delivery, she grabbed my phone (at my request) and took photos of me and my husband meeting our daughter and they are among my most cherished photos from that day. She even took a photo of my placenta at my request to see it! She accompanied me to postpartum, and since my husband needed to step out, made sure I got a video of me pushing the lullaby button to show him. In postpartum, she held my daughter, and the love you could tell she felt for us just beamed out of her. Even after she handed me over to the postpartum nurse, she stopped back by to give me a special hat and booties that a relative of hers (I think her grandmother?) had knitted. She made me and my husband feel so special and so welcomed into parenthood after the most unexpected start to my labor and during a time when so much feels topsy-turvy with relatives and friends unable to be there in person to support us. I couldn't have asked for a better nurse, and I hope if I am able to have future children that I get her again.