We were admitted for a planned C-section, and I knew Stacy Smith was great right away, but I had no idea what was about to happen, and I believe that God put her on my path that day.

Everything was going great during the C-section. Our baby did have a little trouble transitioning and had to go to the nursery to be monitored. We were assured that this is common in C-section babies, so this didn't feel like a setback. Not ideal, but it was okay and manageable. I didn't get to hold our baby right away, but it was fine because I just wanted her to have the help she needed.

Before wheeling out of the OR, Stacy noticed that I was having more bleeding than anticipated and called out to the doctor to see it also. After a few minutes, things seemed to be ok, and we wheeled out of the procedure room and to our hospital room.

She stayed in the room, tending to what was happening with my bleeding status. She was proactive in noticing things were taking a turn for the worse, getting all the appropriate teammates in the room, and intervening very quickly. She explained everything to me as it was happening and helped keep my husband and me as calm as we could be.

There was a lot that happened, and it was a long time of trying to stabilize me in the room. I was very scared while this was all happening, but it was evident that Stacy had command over the situation, and I was as calm as I could be knowing that she was there and handling it with me. I could see her monitoring everything that was happening and proactively talking out what the next moves were.

In a situation where you are out of control of your body, it is comforting to have someone telling you exactly what is going on and what the plan could be.

It was decided that we were going to have to go down to IR for an additional procedure under general anesthesia, which unfortunately meant I was going to have to go to the ICU overnight for additional monitoring. I knew this meant I wasn't going to be able to be with my baby. This was very upsetting.

While we were still in my room on the OB floor, Stacy brought my baby to the room so that I could hold her before I had to go down for the procedure. This was the first time I got to really fully see her and hold her. It was also the last time that I would be able to hold her until I was released back to the OB unit.

Not only did she tend to the physical assessment, intervening, and managing my hemorrhage, but she also recognized and understood my emotional needs and was so empathetic.

I am also an RN, and watching her in action was truly impressive. As a nurse, I know that things could have taken a turn for the worse at any time. I remained confident that I would eventually be okay because of the excellent care I was receiving.

After I was out of the IR procedure and in the ICU room, Stacy stopped by to check on me after her shift to see how I was doing. It was evident that she truly cared about me and my family.

Not only is she a fantastic nurse clinically, but she also showed so much care and empathy to my husband and me during our stay. It is hard to articulate the difference that she made in our experience. We are counting our blessings because of the care and empathy that we received from her.

Thank you!