Katie Gonzales was my L&D nurse and delivered my beautiful baby girl at midnight. From the moment I got to L&D, she made my husband and I feel right at home. She knew I was in a lot of pain and did whatever she could to make sure my epidural was helping. She never once questioned my pain and immediately called the anesthesiologist to come and give me extra pain relief. When it was time to push, my daughter's heart rate declined, and Katie immediately told me to stop pushing and stayed very calm given how low her heart rate became. Her calmness helped me stay calm and not get anxious given the circumstance. She notified the on-call OB and advocated for me to attempt again and not just resort to a C-section. It has always been my dream to be able to give birth naturally. Katie knew that was my wish and helped me into different positions to help my daughter's heart rate come back up and encouraged me not to push even though my entire body was telling me to. After a while, her heart rate came back up and it was time to deliver. Katie kept encouraging me and she was so sweet throughout the entire process. She knew I was scared but her willingness to help me get through the delivery and be there with me until the end was all I could have ever asked for.
After delivery, my husband told me, "It's nurses like Katie who make Texas Children's one of the best hospitals ever." As an employee, I felt so incredibly blessed I had an amazing L&D experience given the scary moments. Having a wonderful and encouraging nurse like Katie made me feel so comfortable and at ease. After a couple of days of my delivery, one of my coworkers was in L&D and I told her hopefully you will have Katie in L&D, that's how much I really cherished her caring and calm nature. Thank you, Katie, for making my dream come true and helping me welcome my beautiful baby girl. You will forever be cherished in our hearts.