I delivered a beautiful and healthy baby boy at 11:15 pm. The road to delivering my child was not an easy one as I chose to go the natural way without an epidural (at first). I arrived at the hospital at 9:40 am and the care I received by everyone was amazing. Everyone greeted me and my husband with kindness, respect, and excitement. With that being said, there was one nurse who truly went above and beyond her duty as a healthcare provider. That nurse was Karen from the labor and delivery unit. She had picked up extra hours and I was fortunate to have her as my nurse, coach, and advocate from 3:00 pm until 2 am until I was transferred to the postpartum unit.
Karen has a heart of gold. She did not treat us as just another patient. We quickly developed a friendly relationship and learned that she's a mother of four children and just became an APRN. She's respectful, honest, caring, and a true advocate. She listened to my wishes and guided me through the delivery process. She made sure that my husband was taken care of as well. She would offer him snacks and food. She would put our minds at ease and talk to us about various topics to help me forget about the pain of contractions. She did not judge me when I finally asked (more like screamed) for an epidural after 12 hours of being in labor.
It's been a month since our son was born and we still tell our family and friends about our amazing nurse, Karen. It's not just one thing that Karen did during our stay that made us nominate her. It's her natural way of caring and being a nurse. It's the way she carries herself and radiates warmth and a positive attitude. She's knowledgeable, smart, and honest. She makes her patients laugh and puts their minds at ease. She is a leader and a coach. With that being said, we would like to wish her best of luck on her future endeavor as an APRN and thank her for all that she had done for us during our stay. We were truly blessed to have her as our nurse that whole day/night.