Lydia S Bontrager, BSN, RNC-OB

I went into the hospital at 6:00 am on November 20, 2021 in labor, only dilated to a 1. Lydia came in at 7:00 am for her shift, she instantly got me moving and encouraging me through each contraction. Even after an epidural, Lydia kept me moving. By the time Lydia's shift ended at 7:00 pm I was dilated to a 9-9.5. I continued to labor into November 21, 2021, with no progress. Once Lydia's shift started again on the 21st she came right in and got me moving and pushing. She encouraged me every step of the way. I got discouraged when the talk of a c-section was brought up. Lydia reassured me to not give up, keep pushing, and that I could do this. She fought for me, she fought to give me a chance to have my baby without having to do a c-section. She knew that I could do it even when I thought I couldn't. We ended up shutting my epidural off, making me move, pushing through the pain. After almost 32 hours of labor and 6 hours of pushing, I delivered a beautiful 6Ib 1 oz baby girl. I have told everyone that asks about my birth story, if I would've had any other nurses or doctor that day, I would've had more of a traumatic experience and would've delivered via c-section. Lydia never gave up on me and pushed me to not give up on myself, no matter how painful. She went above and beyond. I truly believe God placed her in that hospital that weekend.