Our story started far before ever meeting Nancy on the L&D unit at FTMC. But Nancy was placed exactly where we needed her to be in our journey of finally bringing our sweet baby home. Besides documented clinical details of our prior pregnancy, there is no way Nancy could have known the feeling of loss and discouragement we felt after we lost our sweet baby girl at 22 weeks due to a rare genetic disorder approximately three years ago. My husband and I were completely blindsided by the news and in a state of shock.

About a week later, we delivered our sweet girl on the same day that we kissed her and gave our final goodbyes. That night we drove home with a white teddy bear wrapped in her receiving blanket sitting in the back seat instead of the little girl that we had been planning to bring home in just a few short months. There is an emptiness in that moment that cannot be explained. After some time, my husband and I decided it was the right time to try and give pregnancy another shot. However, it did not go as planned. And it took several years of discouragement and frustration before we finally got pregnant again. It literally felt impossible. But with a lot of patience and determination, we finally got pregnant with our sweet boy.

The entire pregnancy was an emotional roller coaster. We experienced more unexpected grief over the loss of our girl. Guilt over bringing a new life into the world. Guilt for being excited. Fear of sharing our good news with our family and friends. And, of course, fear of losing our sweet boy. It was a long and challenging 40 weeks for both of us. But I, myself, suffered terrible anxiety and fear that something would for sure go wrong with this pregnancy every single day. Fast forward to our delivery date, we meet Nancy.

As soon as I met her, I knew that I was in good hands. She made me feel safe and confident that everything was going to go smoothly for us that day. For the first time in 40 weeks, I felt relief. However, as we all know, we can’t always prepare for the bumps and curve balls along the way. And boy, did we hit a few. Our sweet boy decided to come fast and with a lot of extra excitement which caused some significant decelerations in his heart rate. I was immediately panicked, and my anxiety was at an all-time high. I couldn’t believe that this was happening to us after everything we had already been through. But not Nancy. Nancy responded promptly and confidently, stabilizing our little guy’s heart rate and gaining control of the situation. She was an absolute rockstar.

Throughout this pregnancy, I had been told multiple times, “Stop worrying,” “Everything is going to be ok,” and “Lightening doesn't strike the same spot twice.” And honestly, most of the time I would roll my eyes on the inside because, other than my husband, no one truly knew what how I was feeling on the inside. But when Nancy said, “Everything is good, baby looks good, heart rate looks good, you got this, momma. Let’s try and relax.” I believed her. And guess what? Everything ended up being okay! We gave birth to a healthy, sweet boy later that day. 24 hours later, my husband and I did not go home with the teddy bear in the back seat. We went home with our healthy baby boy, whom we had been waiting for over three years; it was one of the happiest days of our lives.

I want you guys to know how special Nancy is, not just as a nurse but as a human being. Of course, she is knowledgeable and has countless years of experience. But Nancy is a beautiful, kind, and caring soul. And that is what makes the difference between a good nurse and an exceptional human being. She is the kind of nurse that all nurses should aspire to be. Nancy was exactly the kind of nurse I needed that day. I hope that she knows how much she touched me. And that I will never forget how well she took care of me and my family that day.