Maya Angelou once said, "They may forget your name, but they will never forget how you made them feel." I will never forget Leslie Jones and what she did for me the day my daughter was born.
My labor progressed quickly and by the time I was settled into a bed in L&D, I was already 9cm dilated. After I got an epidural and had my water broken, I was told that my baby should be expected shortly. Hours passed and my baby had not descended. Her heart rate stayed the same throughout each contraction and the doctor suggested a C-section to prevent her from going into distress. I was exhausted and the thought of something going wrong was too much to bear, so I agreed and accepted the fact that I was going to deviate from my hopes of a vaginal delivery. When the doctor left the room, Leslie looked at me and said, "Honey, I have been doing this a long time and you do not need a C-section. I am going to help you have this baby." She began working her magic and encouraging me to gently push to help ease the baby down. It seemed like only 20 minutes had passed before she made a call to the doctor to have him come for the delivery. Leslie helped me deliver my daughter with no complications. She advocated for me when I was too tired to speak up for myself. She gave me hope, helped me find strength within myself, and saved me from having to have an unnecessary C-section. She played such a major role in the birth of my perfect baby girl and I will always be grateful that I had such an amazing nurse like her. Thank you Leslie!