March 2016
Erin
Cooper
,
RN
Labor & Delivery
Gwinnett Medical Center
Lawrenceville
,
GA
United States
This past summer Erin took a leave of absence from Gwinnett Medical to travel halfway around the world to serve the people of Kenya. I met her for the first time when she arrived in our small town of Kisumu. She was traveling to work with a non-profit group that my husband and I help oversee in Kenya. During the summer months, we organize rural medical camps for those who have limited to no access to any medical care. We treat wounds and other basic maladies and provide the medicines needed for this treatment. Erin loved on and treated hundreds of patients. She assessed their needs and provided state-of-the-art care. Little did I know how much she would bless my husband and me while she was serving in Kenya.
During the summer we joked that she could deliver my baby should she need to do so. However, we preferred for the baby to be born in a hospital. When she arrived, I was 31 weeks pregnant. By the time we departed to Nairobi, where our hospital was located, I was half way through the 36th week. After going to the doctor at the end of week 37, he stated that I had intrauterine growth restriction. He stated that he wanted to deliver the baby in 3 days. We began to panic. This was our first baby. What were we going to do? What if we flew Erin to Nairobi to assist us in the labor and delivery process? We phoned her and she agreed to come.
The hospital allowed her to be my doula and participate in the labor and delivery process. What a blessing it turned out to be that the baby came early! She was there to coach us through the entire course of labor and delivery. It was not ten minutes after my water broke that my contractions began. A little less than four hours later and we were holding our sweet baby in our arms. We could not have asked for a better nurse or friend that we found in Erin. She is immensely knowledgeable and even more compassionate and kind. We have even said that if another baby comes along while we are still living in Kenya, she has to be there for the delivery again. She truly was an angel sent from above.
During the summer we joked that she could deliver my baby should she need to do so. However, we preferred for the baby to be born in a hospital. When she arrived, I was 31 weeks pregnant. By the time we departed to Nairobi, where our hospital was located, I was half way through the 36th week. After going to the doctor at the end of week 37, he stated that I had intrauterine growth restriction. He stated that he wanted to deliver the baby in 3 days. We began to panic. This was our first baby. What were we going to do? What if we flew Erin to Nairobi to assist us in the labor and delivery process? We phoned her and she agreed to come.
The hospital allowed her to be my doula and participate in the labor and delivery process. What a blessing it turned out to be that the baby came early! She was there to coach us through the entire course of labor and delivery. It was not ten minutes after my water broke that my contractions began. A little less than four hours later and we were holding our sweet baby in our arms. We could not have asked for a better nurse or friend that we found in Erin. She is immensely knowledgeable and even more compassionate and kind. We have even said that if another baby comes along while we are still living in Kenya, she has to be there for the delivery again. She truly was an angel sent from above.