A day last Fall started out like most other days with dropping the kids off at school, grocery shopping, and the like. With a week to go until my induction date, I planned on finishing up a few last items on my 'before the baby comes' to-do list and enjoying some rest time over the weekend ahead. But after dinner that Friday night at 9 pm, I started to feel unwell. Out of nowhere, I had one horrible contraction. Then one more about 3 minutes behind it. Within 15 minutes I had had 3 contractions that were brutally painful and decided to call my husband on his way home from work and have him call the doctor. Luckily, he was in the driveway when I called and by the time he made it in the house, I was running to the car with hospital bag in hand. I told him we needed to pack the kids in the car and we'd call the doctor on the way. The hospital was a 30-minute drive from our home and waiting for an ambulance was not an option. I couldn't sit or stand, the contractions were so close together and so severe I had to lean over the back of the front seat for leverage. My husband was able to get to St. Joseph's Women's Hospital in about 25 minutes, but I could already feel my baby bearing down by the time we reached the entrance.
Unfortunately, I knew my baby had been breech for weeks and a vaginal delivery would be very risky. My husband was lucky to find two helpful EMTs near the emergency entrance and quickly raced over to get their assistance to place me in a wheelchair so he could also grab the kids in the car. They saw my state and immediately rushed me in through the emergency entrance to the triage unit. A nurse by the name of Pam in the triage unit was able to quickly gather what was happening with being ready to deliver and my baby's breech position. She checked my cervix, could feel the butt of the baby and could tell I was completely dilated and effaced. Other hospital staff were attempting to gather medical history, perform a sonogram and ask many questions, but Pam helped gather only the most necessary information and managed the rest of the staff demanding the OR immediately. She knew if she didn't get me back to the OR table right at that second that my baby was going to make his entrance right there in triage. She rebuffed several attempts by other staff trying to gather non-essential information, started my IV, and pushed through to the OR. Within less than 5 minutes, she had helped track down my doctor and had me in the OR with an IV prepped and ready for an emergency C section. Just a few minutes later, I was put under general anesthesia and my amazing OB and hospital staff delivered my baby without any complications to either of us just in time.
There is no doubt in my mind, Pam saved me and quite possibly my precious third child that night. While I know the other staff meant to do their jobs like they were supposed to, Pam knew that the right thing to do at that time was to push through the red tape to get me to the OR. I am eternally thankful to her for taking care of us that night. Only a few more seconds and we could have taken a turn for the worse. After retelling the night's events to another nurse, she told me about the DAISY Award and how special it is. I knew instantly that I wanted to nominate Pam for this award for taking such phenomenal care of both my baby and myself. She was so kind to find my family out in the waiting area to relay the urgency of what had happened but that everything was taken care of and everyone was okay and not to worry. Really all of the staff at St. Joseph's Women's have been wonderful to me, but Pam was really that special nurse who was determined to give us a happy outcome this delivery. Thank you so very much for caring the way you did.