We would like to acknowledge and thank our Labor and Delivery nurse, Dee for the exceptional care and reassurance she offered our family during the delivery of our son. M is our second child but our first experience with Mercy Iowa City and we owe much of our wonderful experience to the care that Dee provided us.
I felt uncomfortable for a lot of the pregnancy - much of this discomfort was physical but I was also very anxious about the delivery process. I suffered a femoral nerve injury during the birth of our first son and was immobile for a few weeks, followed by several more weeks of therapy and the use of walkers and crutches. Thankfully, I made a full recovery; however, this experience made us both nervous as to how we would manage a toddler and a newborn should a nerve injury happen again. I had decided early in the pregnancy that I wanted to deliver the baby with as few interventions as possible, specifically, without an epidural as to avoid decreased sensation of my legs and possible recurrent injury of the femoral nerve. I knew that in order to be successful in my intention to be intervention-free, I would need a lot of support, especially from the healthcare team.
I went into labor in the late afternoon. I'd been having mild contractions throughout the early afternoon but attributed the discomfort to be 39 weeks and it being the middle of summer. I left work and spent a few hours at home, intentionally trying to labor there and decide if this was the "real deal". At 4:30pm, J and I agreed to contact Labor and Delivery in an hour if the contractions didn't stop. An hour later, J called L&D and was greeted by Dee. She calmly talked to J about my progress, reviewed my medicals records and provided reassurance to him over the phone. She asked so many great questions, including if I wanted to have an epidural or other pain control.
When we indicated that we did not, Dee was very supportive and suggested that I stay at home as long as I could, indicating that as soon as I arrived at the hospital, I would have to be monitored and may not be as comfortable as I might be at home. We agreed to call her back in an hour to provide an update. M had other plans for us, however and within about 30 minutes of talking to Dee, labor intensified, and it was clear that we needed to get to the hospital an arrived on the floor around 6:30pm.
Dee was the first person who met us, and she was warm, calm and collected. Looking back, I must have had a "look" because Dee knew I was about ready to have M. She quickly but calmly, got us into a delivery room, placed an IV on the first try, and reassured us that everything was going to be alright. Between the intake, monitor placement and review of my history she also helped with my breathing techniques, and made sure that I was as comfortable as possible. I was progressing very quickly and intensely, but Dee was experienced, extraordinarily compassionate and a true advocate for me and my family, which is exactly what I needed in a nurse.
When it was time to push, Dee made sure everyone in the room was aware of my history and previous nerve injury and instructed those helping me labor not to put pressure on my leg. Dee was a huge advocate for us, knowing that we did not want to have to deal with complications this time around.
From the time we arrived at Mercy to the moment I got to hold M for the first time was 35 minutes. In that short period of time, Dee made us feel welcome, well cared for and connected, making the experience incredibly positive and special. We are so grateful to her for providing the counseling over the phone before we arrived and then for being so calm and directive when we showed up ready to have a baby. She deserves to be recognized for the outstanding care and compassion that she provides for families. Thank you, Dee; we are very thankful for you!