Jess was exactly what we needed in one of the most amazing yet scariest moments of our lives. Jess was not my assigned nurse when we met. I was walking around my hospital room powering through contractions when I noticed that the monitor was no longer picking up my little girl’s heartbeat. I jiggled the monitor in hopes of finding it as my little girl loved to move away from it; but I had no luck. I started to panic and looked to my husband who was already on his way to the door to grab any nurse he could see as our nurse was busy with another patient. Jess and another nurse came in and found my daughter’s heartbeat just seconds before my water broke. Once that happened it was a whirlwind. My contractions started to come faster as the two nurses quickly began notifying my doctor and cleaning up the room. I looked at Jess and remember saying “Please breathe with me, his voice is annoying me” referring to my husband. Poor guy was trying but in that moment I needed someone else. Jess immediately stepped in, grabbed my hand, and started to breathe with me.

What happened after that is kind of a blur as things got a bit hectic for a while but what I do recall is looking at Jess and saying, “Please don’t leave me.” She said she wouldn’t and she stuck by her word. Jess stayed by my side from that moment until I was safely in my postpartum recovery room. Jess held my hand when I needed her. She helped me breathe through every contraction. She repeatedly told me “I could” when I continuously said, “I can’t do this anymore.” She was my rock. She was my sanity. She was absolutely everything I needed in every moment.

When it came time to push I remember watching Jess orchestrate everything with such confidence and grace. She made me feel safe in a very scary time as a first-time mom. My daughter’s heart rate was dropping every time I tried to push. I remember being scared to death for my daughter but trying to focus on myself and my breathing at the same time. Jess quickly realized I was struggling with balancing my fear and my focus and looked me dead in the eyes and said “I have her. Focus on your breathing. I have her.” She will never know how much her words in that moment meant and still mean to me. I still to this day can hear her voice clear as day in that moment.

As I said before, Jess continued to be my support until she wheeled me into recovery. She was there through every up and down and she made sure I felt safe, heard, supported, and ready for every obstacle. She always took the time to listen to me and to explain every step of what was about to happen when I was nervous or had questions. Because of all of this, when people ask me about my labor and delivery, I always start with how amazing my nurse was and how I never would have made it without her.

Jess will always be a part of our birth story and she will always be talked about with the highest regard. Our daughter will always know about the nurse that “had her” and made sure she was safe. Jess absolutely outdid herself and I hope she gets the recognition she deserves as being one of the most caring and outstanding nurses I have ever met. We will never forget what Jess did for our family and we will be forever grateful for her!