The hospital was the last place E wanted to be to have a baby. Our previous two children were born at home with a midwife, and she loved every aspect of the experience. When we had to transfer our plan to the hospital to be induced, Heather knew that E didn't want to be there, and Heather's compassion in regard to that fact made E comfortable in a setting she never imagined she could handle. Not once had we felt criticized for planning a home birth. E's comfort in the hospital setting, as a result of Heather's compassion, became so important as E developed rare and unforeseeable complications after delivery.
As we prepared for E to go into surgery for what we thought would be a quick and simple procedure, Heather played a critical role in making E comfortable and not get anxious with what was happening. As E was in the OR, she developed DIC and had to have an emergency hysterectomy to save her life. Having gotten to know E and our family, Heather knew that we were hoping for a large family. Heather helped us all in the following hours and days to understand why this was necessary, crying with us as we mourned our loss, and celebrated our new daughter. Heather is a part of the reason E is still with us, and she was the DAISY in our story!