I was lucky to welcome my first baby with the support of my amazing nurse, Shelly, by my side at the time of delivery. I arrived to be induced the day before around 4:00 p.m. and delivered Friday at 11:30 p.m. (yes, the timing matters).

When Shelly first came into my room, I immediately knew she was the nurse I needed with me when I welcomed my baby into the world. When she came in, she introduced herself, and before she even asked how I was feeling or what I needed, she immediately assessed my discomfort and quickly got me feeling better. I know it might seem so small, but the device that goes on your finger to assess oxygen levels was truly adding to my discomfort and stress. She walked over and asked if she could take it off and continue to monitor me without constantly wearing it. I could not have been more relieved, and I’m not sure how she knew.

My support people in the room at the time all laughed and said, “Oh, you’re her favorite now,” because they all had to listen to me complain about wearing it for the previous 5–6 hours. I asked when her shift was over because, in my head, I was set on delivering before she left. She told me that she was there until 11:00 p.m., and I said, “Okay, I need him to come before you leave!” From that point on, my labor progressed.

Since this was my first baby, I didn’t know everything that was available to me, and she made sure I knew what was happening each step of the way—big and small—and what I could do and how to use or access it (e.g., birthing ball, when I could have an epidural). My mom was one of the people in the room before delivery, and she can be a BIG personality in any room. Shelly handled all her questions and comments with such grace that it made me feel more at ease. I don’t want this aspect to be overlooked because, for someone who didn’t know me or my family for more than a couple of hours, it was truly a blessing that she was able to take such amazing care of me and also handle my very intense mom, never losing patience while my mom asked, “When are we having a baby?” a minimum of 50 times in about two hours.

When I was the most grateful for Shelly was when it was time for me to start pushing. At around 9:00 p.m., she asked me if I was ready to have a baby, and I let her know that I needed her to be with me until he was here (sort of joking and sort of not). During this time, she made me feel so supported and kept me strong. She worked so well with Dr. Prosper, who clearly trusted her opinion during the process, as she frequently checked in with her about what position to put me in next. She kept me comfortable and, if you can believe it, laughing!

Yes, I was a little crazy, and during breaks I was checking the clock and saw time quickly approaching 11:00 p.m. The next nurse came in, which I can only assume was to prep for the shift change, and I said, “Well, Shelly, we have 15 minutes for him to get here because I need you here with me.” I was approaching two hours of pushing and was feeling so tired when Shelly said she would be right back. When she came back, she told me she was approved to stay until 11:30, and I could not have been more grateful.

Shelly has a family, five kids, and a life of her own. She had only been with me a few hours that night, but she made me feel so seen and not like just another patient on her shift. If you can believe it, I delivered at exactly 11:30 on the dot.

But my excitement didn’t end there. My baby was born with the umbilical cord wrapped twice around his neck, and I could feel the tension in the room as other nurses came in and I was just waiting for the cry. Shelly rushed over to tell me exactly what was going on and that he was okay—again making sure I wasn’t in the dark about what was happening. She stayed with me until my baby was back in my arms and all was well. She hugged me on her way out, and she truly made my first birth easy and memorable.

Shelly deserves the world and more.