When I came in for what I thought was a labor evaluation turned into an induction (which I was prepared for) but then turned into a very traumatic first delivery experience for me. As a NICU nurse, I thought I knew enough to be prepared for everything, and boy, was I wrong. Haleigh was my overnight nurse, and she made sure that no matter what I needed, I got it as soon as she could.

Once the Pitocin started and I was induced, things got hectic kind of fast. The baby boy started to not tolerate contractions, so Pitocin was on and off for hours, and Haleigh sat in the room with us through all his shenanigans. When I finally reached 9cm and was so close, the baby’s heart rate finally decided it was not going to recover, and she got help right away to get me back for an emergency c-section. I firmly believe her fast actions and noticing he was not recovering this time led to a way better outcome than could have been for the baby and me. I was a mess, to say the least, but she never left my side through labor and even in the OR.

In the middle of the closing, Dad was in with the baby when they could not stop the bleeding and was told I may need a hysterectomy at 27, during my first delivery. Since Dad was in the NICU, Haleigh came over to just tell me he was doing great and that things would be okay. She was amazing, as was every other nurse I had during that delivery, but I cannot thank her enough for making the traumatic experience a little less traumatic.