Trista Nester, RN

I went into the hospital at 8 AM for a medically necessary induction. Although my husband was with me, I had no family support because they were all sick during the raging flu season. As a first-time mama, I was scared. When shift change rolled around that evening, Trista took over for my daytime nurse and was welcoming from the beginning. She introduced herself and thoroughly went through her plan for me for the evening. Around 8 PM, she assisted the physician with inserting a Foley balloon to continue dilating my cervix. From this moment going forward, for the next 3 hours, I was in excruciating pain. Trista came into my room every few minutes with words of encouragement or to check on me and ensure that I was doing the best that I could. She took my pain seriously and was so supportive! She routinely checked my balloon until it was able to come out, and I never felt like an afterthought.

At about midnight, she encouraged me to get the epidural. I was once again overcome with fear. She made jokes to try to get me laughing and talked me through the whole thing so well that I barely even felt it. After my epidural, she came into my room regularly to rotate me since I was unable to move and my daughter's heart rate kept dipping if I stayed in one position too long. Knowing that I am a bigger woman and I weigh a lot, she never made me feel like I was an inconvenience to move, and she remained calm during the process. She let me rest during the night so that I would have the energy to have my baby the following day. In the morning, she assisted the attending with breaking my water and thoroughly cleaned me up because I had polyhydramnios. I explain all of these moments in intimate detail because she went above and beyond in all of them to ensure my comfort and my daughter's safety. My birth story would not have been as amazing if it weren't for Trista's knowledge, generosity, and kindness. She even stopped by my recovery room on her shift the following evening to check on me and my daughter. She is an exceptional nurse and such a respectable young lady.