I delivered my baby boy, J, at West Valley Medical Center. We had a nurse by the name of Amy Buckley. She is on the Labor and Delivery floor. I wanted to nominate her for the DAISY Award because of the incredible experience she helped us have. My labor story is not your "typical" story. It wasn't magical or amazing. It wasn't the birth stories you hear about. It was the labor story that people don't talk about. The story that is hard, brutal, and downright scary. Amy was beyond incredible throughout the entire labor.

My labor started out as one you would call normal. Contractions, epidural, sleep, etc. My labor drastically changed when my doctor used forceps to remove J after 23 hours of active labor and five hours of pushing. He was sunny side up and I couldn't get him out on my own. Unfortunately, I ended up with a fourth-degree tear and a massive hemorrhage. It took well over an hour to get me stabilized and the rapid response team was called in.

As a patient, they didn't tell me much to keep me calm. My poor husband stood there as I was bleeding out and he watched in horror. At one point he was even asked to leave the room and we both knew it was bad at that point. My doctor was throwing stitches like my life depended on it because it did. We were told at one point that at the rate I was losing blood, my doctor had about three minutes to get my bleeding stopped or I wouldn't still be here. Thankfully I am. I had to have two blood transfusions and two iron transfusions. I had to be given adrenaline just to keep me conscious. My epidural wore off on my left side and I felt all of this. I felt every stitch and every pull. As a patient, you don't get to hear everything about what is going on, so you remain calm. My husband, however, got firsthand information through the entire process until he was removed from my delivery room.

Amy was truly a godsend for me. She listened to my concerns, comforted not only me but my husband as well, and was truly kind and encouraging. She explained the process every step of the way and made sure I truly understood what was happening. Even during that hour of uncertainty, if I asked, she made sure she had answers for me. She was so patient and loving. Her touch was calming and reassuring. During one of my in-and-out spells, I woke up and saw her comforting my sobbing husband. He wasn't her patient, yet she took time to comfort him. She listened and genuinely cared. His biggest fear is his wife dying in childbirth and he got a front-row seat to that almost being his new reality. She stayed late, past her shift end, to make sure she saw the aftercare through to the end. She even came back the next day, on her day off, to check on my husband and me. Amy is a nurse who goes above the call of duty. She is someone whom I am so grateful was in my delivery room that day. She is someone who has impacted my life for the better in many ways.

You often hear how nurses are superheroes but she's much more than that to me. She was my advocate, my comforter, my supporter. She was a warm presence and a light in those dark and scary moments of our lives. We were truly blessed with the best and it's something we will never forget. My husband and I talk about Amy often and tell our friends and family how blessed we were. She played a vital role in not only bringing our little man into this world but keeping me here as well.