I was admitted for a scheduled induction, which I was nervous about and had hoped to avoid my going into labor naturally. Zoe was my nurse both on the day of admission and the following day. The first day I made little to no progress, despite starting medications to induce my labor which was very discouraging. Zoe took the time to listen to all of my concerns, provide encouragement, and was very proactive and collaborative with the midwife and physician team in my care. The following day, my water did break as Zoe was coming back on. I was initially encouraged about my progress, but as the day progressed, my contractions slowed, and my baby had poor tolerance of my contractions, so I was unable to tolerate medications to progress my labor. Zoe was in and out of my room constantly throughout the day to change my positioning to help my baby and worked diligently to try to optimize things to progress my labor. Ultimately, it was recommended that I deliver via C-section, which was not anything I wanted or anticipated.

Processing this was very emotional and challenging for me, but willing to proceed to protect my baby. Zoe was there to reassure me with each step and made me feel like I was her only patient. She was consistently with me and my husband throughout two of the most stressful, emotional days of our lives. I honestly don’t think I would have made it through those days the way I did if it wasn’t for Zoe. Her compassion, empathy, and dedication to her patients deserve recognition. I am beyond thankful she was my nurse.