I would like to nominate labor & delivery nurse Melissa Porras, RN of Legacy Good Samaritan Hospital in Portland, Oregon for a DAISY Award for her exemplary care during the birth of my first baby. If you could choose your nurse for the delivery of your first baby, Melissa is the nurse you would choose every time and with every labor. I had the dream pregnancy and loved every moment of it. However, my labor turned dangerous quickly and Melissa was with me the whole way.

Melissa was the nurse assigned to me when I arrived at the hospital. Things seemed to be progressing quickly, as my body was experiencing labor for the first time. I immediately threw up when I got to my room, simultaneously while peeing my pants! Melissa was incredibly kind, saying "poor thing", and swiftly got me my first pair of mesh underwear as a replacement. I believe I said something like, "I think I threw up because the car ride was bumpy", and she responded, "I think it’s because you’re in labor", not minimizing me and my needs. When it came time to push, I remember her saying just the right things to continue to focus and motivate me through the incredible process. “It’s just a sensation and then your daughter will be here.” She also mentioned that she had been a doula for a dozen years before becoming a nurse. Whether it was this prior experience as a doula or simply her nature, I felt extremely taken care of.

After the birth of my daughter, my placenta was struggling to be delivered. She worked together with my doctor, and eventually it came out. However, I had lost, and was continuing to lose, a lot of blood. From here, things happened even faster, and I don’t remember much other than being told I was going to the OR and to breathe deeply into the mask.

When I woke, it seemed like Melissa never left my side, as she was there to transfer me from the ISU to my room. She stayed with me in my room to discuss exactly what had happened. She was straightforward when she explained that I had lost a lot of blood, but that I had responded very well and very quickly to medication, blood transfusions, and the necessary procedures. She also apologized again for having to cut me out of the maternity gown that I brought to the hospital, something I vaguely remember her asking me at the time. She still felt bad and this continued to show just how much she cared about my overall experience of my daughter’s birth. At the time we were talking, I was still in such a daze, but I could tell the experience had left an impact on her. My standard labor had escalated quickly, and I wasn’t expecting it or prepared for it. But I replay everything in my head, and I know just how lucky I am that she was my nurse that day.