Being pregnant is hard. Being pregnant for the first time is even harder. And being pregnant for the first time during a pandemic is REALLY hard...at times, nearly unbearable. I was stripped of my normal support systems and forced to rely on online, self-driven modules instead of the very personalized Centering Pregnancy classes that offered education, in-person support, and routine check-ins and check-ups.
And just when I was feeling overwhelmed beyond anything I had ever experienced before, a guardian angel, a nurse, stepped up to offer support and education and encouragement when nobody else was able to. This nurse's name is Tracy Claxton.
Tracy was one of the nurse educators assigned to my Centering Pregnancy classes through the midwifery program. For three months, my group of 10 pregnant mamas met with her and a midwife every other week for education, vital sign checks, support, and encouragement. And every class, my husband and I BOTH looked forward to our check-ins. But when these classes were forced to stop in March due to the pandemic, we felt directionless and unintentionally abandoned....this is until Tracy started reaching out to each of us on her OWN PERSONAL TIME to set up online zoom classes and send frequent text messages and email touch bases. I even stopped by her house to pick up a medicine ball intended to help me prepare even more fully for labor which she graciously offered to me as a gift.
Tracy was our lifeline through the final 2.5 months of pregnancy. She was my 'go-to' for any question, and when she didn't know the answer, she found someone who did. She kept us calm. She kept us focused. And she helped us feel supported and loved and prepared when no one else could/did. Tracy went FAR ABOVE AND BEYOND her duty as a nurse....she reached out on her own time, she organized online classes again, ON HER OWN TIME), and she made each and every one of us feel like we hadn't been forgotten.
In the midst of a very stressful time for everyone, Tracy put her own fears and stress aside in order to help address ours. And her support continued through our Labor and Delivery process and beyond. She happened to be staffing the Labor Triage unit the day I went into Labor and seeing her familiar, friendly face brought so much comfort and reassurance. She addressed my concerns, spent countless time with my husband and me trying to get me into different positions to help my labor progress, came over to the delivery room when I was having significant problems with pain management to offer more support and hands-on maneuvers, and offered guidance and hands-on education to my husband who was acting as my unofficial doula during that time (since we weren't allowed to have doulas due to COVID).
When I asked Tracy why she was willing to offer all of this extra support for our group of mamas, she simply replied "because that is what I would want if I was pregnant right now for the first time". I am forever grateful to Tracy for her support and love during that scary time and for her continued support and encouragement even after we delivered our baby. As a nurse myself, I know The DAISY Award is extremely prestigious, and I can say without a doubt that Tracy Claxton is absolutely a DAISY Nurse.
Note: This is Tracy's 2nd DAISY Award!