I gave birth to my son after a long week of prodromal labor. I was beyond exhausted, and because it was my first baby, I was scared.  While every nurse I interacted with at LGH was lovely, Maria was the nurse who was with me during most of my labor and my birth.  Maria's Shift started right as I was getting my epidural, and our first interaction was her holding me during the epidural to keep me from shaking too much.  I immediately felt safe with Maria.  She made incredible efforts to make me and my husband comfortable.  She made sure to change my position regularly, and when she moved me, it was with incredible care.  It is inspiring to watch someone do exactly what they were called to do in life. I truly believe Maria was born to be a labor and Delivery nurse.  I felt like I had someone from my own family watching over me because she was so caring.  

At one point, I had a prolonged contraction that caused my baby to stop getting oxygen.  Maria woke me up and started to shift me. While I was terrified about the safety of my baby, I completely trusted Maria and the rest of the nursing team to keep me and my baby safe. I distinctly remember having tears rolling down my cheeks but trying to breathe in the oxygen as deeply as I could so I wouldn't inhibit the nurses' work.  I knew implicitly that they would do everything to help me and my baby.  My husband woke up with a group of nurses around me, talking urgently to one another.  Maria took the time to explain to my husband what was happening so he wouldn't be unnecessarily afraid.  After everything was okay, she explained every detail of what happened and made sure I was emotionally ok.

When it came time to deliver my son, I was so thankful Maria was still on shift to help me bring him into the world. She told me she was excited to put a new blue bead in her jar, which she uses to track the babies she helps be born.  Maria is an incredible person, and I feel extremely lucky to have had her as my nurse for my first experience in labor and birth.  I think of her often when my son smiles.