On the morning of our son's birth, I became concerned because he had been moving around less than normal. After calling our midwife, it was recommended that we come in for a nonstress test to check on the baby's status. Upon our arrival to the hospital, Tess was the nurse with who we began this experience, and from the start, she emanated genuine care for us, offering encouraging words and helping us through the process of getting settled and monitored.
After the nonstress test was completed, it was determined that I would need to have an urgent c-section as the baby's heart rate was dipping with each contraction I was having. As first-time parents, we were overwhelmed with anxiety about what this could potentially mean for us and our baby, but Tess was with us the entire time, offering words of encouragement and comfort. Obviously, this was a huge change to our birth plan, and because of Covid, none of our loved ones could be present to help us through this unbelievably emotional change of events. However, Tess seamlessly stepped into that role. One of the starkest memories I have from that day is Tess sitting in front of me and talking me through all of the things that were going to happen, carefully explaining each step to ensure that I knew what to expect, and encouraging me, comforting me, and checking on my wellbeing every step of the way.
Our son was born less than thirty minutes after we were told about the c-section, and Tess was with us the entire time, doing everything to make sure that our baby was safe and healthy, that he was ok after his startling entrance into the world. When we couldn't hold or see him because he needed to be on oxygen, we were devastated, but Tess made the extra effort to give us frequent updates on his progress. She described him to us, telling us about his movements and his features, and provided the assurance we needed to know that he was going to be ok. In the following days as we recovered and got to know our new addition, she stopped in to check on us multiple times, even taking the time to do so after her shift had formally ended. A week later, when I was back for a lactation consultation, she heard that we were there and made the effort to stop in and see how we were doing.
Tess's dedication, professionalism, and supreme kindness have played a huge role in our lives and will never be forgotten. Whenever we tell our birth story, we talk about her and how lucky we feel to have had someone as wonderful as her alongside us during this journey. She deserves this award so many times over, and we cannot thank her enough for the ways she's impacted our family and our lives.