Sam excels at taking care of our moms who go through their labor without any pain medication. Sam takes her time in getting to know each of her patients, their own wants and needs, what works for them and takes all that information and moves like a quiet angel in the room assisting them to make their birth a special day. Sam finds ways to get all the support people in the room busy helping her mom out, whether rubbing her back, offering sips of something to drink, foot massages, good music-dj duties, etc.

One shift I recently worked with Sam, she spent the majority of our 12-hour shift in her room working with a family trying to have an unmedicated birth, and when the patient had been pushing for several hours, the doctors started doubting her ability to deliver her baby vaginally, Sam stuck with her patient, quietly encouraging, supporting, and offering kind words of hope to her patient. When the providers started talking to the patient about needing a cesarean section because she was "Too Tired" or warn out, Sam came out to the nurses' station to advocate for her patient, saying that she felt strong and wanted to continue as long as it is safe to do so. Sam discussed with her patient the option to get an epidural, rest for a while, and then try pushing again, but her patient did not feel tired and wanted to keep going. The doctor agreed to allow the patient to continue to push but then strongly advised getting an epidural for pain relief as well as anesthesia for what she assumed was going to be a cesarean section soon. Sam returned to her patient and explained the situation in a way that her patient could understand the medical perspective but still wanted her to feel like it was her choice on how to proceed. Sam continued to work with this family at their level and with their wants as her focus. When the patient decided to get an epidural, Sam got her comfortable, and instead of coming out to the desk to complain about how tired she was or how long she had been in her patient's room, she stayed at her patient's side and continued to coach her until a baby was born.

Sam's dedication to this family and work with them was a true blessing. The family got to have a birth story that they wanted and felt heard and well supported in their work to have a vaginal birth.