When Katja came on shift I was in my 28th hour of labor. I was determined to have a vaginal birth and efforts to encourage that with Pitocin around 17 to 21 hours into my labor had stressed the baby, causing some troubling dips in his heart rate that went away when the Pitocin was turned off.
When Katja came on I was still dilated at only 5-6 cm. First, Katja proposed using the uterine catheter to inject an amniotic infusion of saline into my uterus to cushion the baby from the stronger contractions and try to the Pitocin again at a lower dose. I agreed and from that infusion onward the baby's heart rate looked stable as the contractions got slowly stronger and the Pitocin was slowly increased. I credit my successful vaginal birth after 36 hours of labor to this amniotic fluid infusion and especially to the respect shown towards my determination to let my baby come when he was ready and able rather than choosing a C-section.
I am so grateful to Katja for her professional knowledge and advice to use this fluid infusion option. However, this nomination would be remiss if it did not also mention how incredibly wonderful it was to have Katja accompany me in the last 6-7 hours of my labor. She is one of the funniest people I have ever met.
When I wasn't in a contraction, I was dying of laughter from Katja's hilarious stories, about her domestic pigs, her experiences as an amateur photographer, and many more unexpected topics. She is a truly outstanding labor and delivery nurse and I am so very grateful for her role in my son's birth. Thank you, Katja.