Gloria Gutierrez, RN

Many women have told me they remember their L&D nurses SO well because of the impact they made on their birth experience. I found that to be true with Gloria. I was 39 weeks pregnant with my second baby and elected for induction of labor as I was eager to meet my son. On day 2 of my stay, Gloria was my dayshift nurse, and little did either of us know the ride we would endure together that day. After a resident manually ruptured my amniotic sac, I looked at Gloria as she looked at the monitor and noticed that my son's heart rate had drastically dropped. I saw a look on her face that nurses know very well: it's time to move. Without hesitation, Gloria acted and called for the team to respond as I was going to have to be taken emergently to the OR due to the umbilical cord prolapsing. Throughout the whole c-section procedure, Gloria was there amidst the chaos of the OR to comfort my heart, reassuring me that my son was okay after they got him out. When I returned to my room, Gloria was the encouraging presence my weary heart desperately needed. She did not sit back in judgment as I wept, recovering from the panic I felt after the whole ordeal. She comforted me, allowing me to feel the way I needed to in order to move forward. Even just bringing me orange Jello after all was said and done is deeply engrained in my memory because Gloria did so with a warm and cheerful heart. Her nursing care prevented anything else from going wrong, and she made sure that while I was in her care, I was cared for well. Gloria was diligent, intentional, kind, and compassionate. Without her, I'm not sure what would have happened but I praise God every day when I get to look at my sweet son's face that He placed Gloria in my story at the right time.