My husband and I had planned for an unmedicated birth with a midwife at a nearby birthing center. After my labor didn't start on its own, we had to get admitted to RMH and I had to be induced and ended up laboring for something like three days. you can probably imagine this wasn't the situation we had hoped for, but Madelyn was so kind, thoughtful, and took such excellent care of us that it really changed our minds about birthing at the hospital. A couple things I really remember from the fog of labor was when my husband needed a bathroom break, he asked for her to hold my hand and she didn't even hesitate to do so, she just held my hand and looked into my eyes. Her demeanor was so calm and kind, I almost didn't want my husband back! She treated us with such respect and later when I was laboring in the tub, and my monitor kept slipping, she just kept coming in, every minute it seemed, to adjust it and make sure the baby's heart rate was okay. She never panicked or rushed us out of the tub, she just shifted things until she found the heart rate and gave us a smile and left. Lastly, when the Pitocin was just feeling like too much and I asked her to ask the doctor to bump the dosage down. It felt like everyone in the room didn't think it was necessary (except me), but she asked the doctor and was able to step it down. I really appreciated her asking the doctor even when it just seemed like it was just a matter of me not being able to handle the contractions. Lastly, after my daughter was born, she came to see us and see how she was doing, it may be something all nurses do, but I really appreciated that she seemed to care about how it all turned out. My daughter is now 6 months old, and despite not being able to remember much from the last 6 months, I hope I'll always remember the incredible care we got from Madelyn!
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Madelyn was our nurse for the births of both our first and second children. As I recall the experience, I felt so comforted during birth by her smiling presence and gentleness. She was attentive, caring, and went above and beyond by checking on us. She cared for us physically, emotionally, and spiritually during our stay!