Mary is an amazing person and even more, an exceptional nurse.  She embodies being a patient advocate through her exceptional and compassionate nursing care.  I could feel her passion for her profession and love for her patients.  I feel lucky to have her a part of my labor journey.  Mary walked into my room after nearly 2 days of me being on the Labor Delivery Unit.  I was exhausted, frustrated and anxious about the continued process of delivery my baby.  My labor was not progressing despite the interventions.  Mary was kind, intelligent, thorough, caring.  Mary was a great listener and allowed me to discuss the difficult journey to become pregnant and my frustrations with the now difficult/frustrating journey of my delivery.  Mary could sense my emotions and was empathetic, caring, and understanding. I instantly felt a sense of relief because she listened to me, understood my fears and genuinely wanted to help. 

Mary was in my room constantly, changing pitocin rates, helping me turn, calling the physician and advocating for more time.  During one of the many visits, Mary grabbed my hand and said, "I know it’s not what you want but we will do everything we can to try to do it".  She let me cry and be frustrated even when I lost hope, she never did. 

The next morning nothing had changed but I knew it was not for lack of effort on Mary's part.  She had advocated to the doctors for more time and tried every intervention possible.  I knew that when I no longer had the energy to fight for my goals, Mary was doing it for me.  The highlight of my entire stay was the love and respect I developed for Mary during those long nights together.