Emily was my labor and delivery nurse when I gave birth to my first child. Throughout the whole night shift, she was reassuring, helpful, super knowledgeable, and two steps ahead with the excellent care she provided. She went above and beyond to make sure the whole family had what we needed as clueless first-time parents.

What really set her apart was how she showed up for my family three days later when I started unexpectedly hemorrhaging at 10 PM on a Saturday night. I called the birth center twice. Emily picked up the phone the second time. She immediately knew who I was and correctly assessed the severity of the hemorrhage. She put me directly in touch with the OB on call and made a note that I would likely be on my way to the hospital soon.

I had never seen so much blood and was panicking, but Emily stayed calm and gave us the clear directions we needed. By the time I got to the hospital, I had lost a lot of blood, and things were getting critical quickly. Emily had prepped the ER team on my condition and streamlined admission. I stopped only briefly to check in before being led directly back to a room and an emergency nurse.

While I got the postpartum care I needed and my OB assembled the team to deliver a blood transfusion and emergency surgery, Emily took the time to check in on my three-day-old son and terrified husband. Emily got them out of the drafty, cold, and loud ER waiting room into a smaller family waiting room where our little one would be safer, but my husband could stay close for updates.

We had left the house in such a hurry that we had nothing with us and no idea where to buy diapers or formula (for the first time!) at midnight for our newborn. Emily helped us find what we needed and worked with the OB to get me checked back into the Family Birth Center after the procedure for postpartum care.

By the time I woke up from surgery around 3 AM, Emily had gotten everyone settled back in the Family Birth Center. Baby was safely sleeping. My husband had a pullout bed to get at least some rest while he waited for me, and she had kept everyone up to date in a calm, reassuring way. I will never forget the relief I felt in that moment knowing that there was someone else watching out for my family when I couldn’t.

Emily took excellent patient care to the next level; she understood exactly what kind of care new moms require. She took care of my family when I couldn’t and created a space on the scariest day of my life where I felt comfortable enough to finally rest and start recovering.