I was in the hospital with pre-eclampsia for multiple days, with fears of early delivery. Friday night into Saturday morning, my condition worsened as my platelets dropped and my liver enzymes raised.
Rebekah was our night nurse for two very challenging nights, as I was on magnesium to prevent me from having seizures. Rebekah treated me like she was my own sister. Not only did she answer every one of my questions thoroughly, I felt at ease talking about things with her, including the bad stuff. She didn't just come in, check on me, and leave the room. She actually sat with us on the rocker, had conversations about her own childbirth experiences, and eased my concerns.
Saturday morning, she held my hair as I vomited. She said that was a big indicator to her that something wasn't right. I was intubated for a C-section. As I was rolled away from my husband, I was terrified, yet she remained calm, cool, and collected during a time of great stress.
Rebekah stood by my side, rubbing my hand and my arm through the entire procedure, which went past the end of her shift. She introduced my husband to our daughter for the first time and told him that I did great. Eventually, when she left, she found my parents in the lobby and their conversation went like this:
"She (Rebekah) saw us in the waiting room and came over to see us. She told us our daughter did very well. She stayed with her and held her hand to help her stay calm. It was fast and efficient. She did bleed a bit and they handled it with a bit of meds. She is in recovery right now and doing great! We thanked her for taking such great care. We so appreciated how she didn't just do her 'job,' but showed her love and compassion for her patients. We asked her if we could pray over her and she gladly accepted. We laid hands on her and prayed over her, with her permission! She cried and said, 'thank you' and that she was sure her father had sent our family to her. She really cried and said, 'Your daughter was a trooper.'"
As I write this, I am overfilled with tears of joy because of the way Rebekah cared for me, beyond what I would consider "just doing her job." Her attention to my needs and care will always be remembered when I tell the story of how my baby was born.