It’s been months since I received care, but it’s taken me a while to be able to put my experience into words.

When I was 28 weeks pregnant, I was admitted to L&D overnight for observation to diagnose a new onset of gestational hypertension. I was beyond terrified. I couldn’t help but fear for my baby’s life and for what I did wrong to cause this.

I entered the room, and was met with Nurse Abby. I warned her off the bat that my husband and I are anxious people; she reassured me that everything would be okay. Some people have the ability to make you feel as if everything would be okay, and Abby did just that.

During my stay, she answered the million questions that my husband and I had regarding the diagnosis and how it would impact my son and me. Her calm demeanor definitely lowered my blood pressure, and the next day, while I was preparing for discharge, she jokingly said to me, “I don’t want to see you back for a few weeks, now,” with the biggest smile. My husband and I laughed and said we hoped so, too.

After a few weeks of bed rest, I found myself getting admitted to L&D for a second time at 33 weeks. Having Abby for the second time was beyond comforting, and I felt secure having a nurse who knew the history with my husband and my anxiety. I felt her presence, and I could tell her interactions were very intentional to my nerves. With each interaction, I was checking her face for worry, but it never appeared.

I asked Abby if I could use the restroom, thinking that an empty bladder would decrease my pressure enough to go back to sleep. When I turned on the bathroom light, I noticed that I couldn’t see out of my left eye. I came back out, crawled into bed, and told Abby about my vision and asked if this means I am having a baby today. Still without concern on her face, she told me there is a chance and that she is going to notify the provider to see how to proceed.

The next half hour was a blur as a swarm of nurses came in to hook up my IV’s, scrub me with CHG wipes, collect labs, and reassure my husband. She came in with scrubs for him and gave him clear directions to put them on and where to wait. She held my hand and walked me to the OR suite. She held me for my spinal and checked on me as they performed the “not an emergency” C-section (our joke as we were preparing for it).

Through it all, I watched Abby’s face to see when I needed to worry, and it never showed. Though I was worried, I was reassured by Abby that I was in good hands and that everything would work out as it should.

As I hit the recovery room, I couldn’t have been more thankful that it was Abby by my side. She was the most amazing guide. I am sure that to her, it was just a Friday night shift into a Saturday morning, but to me, it was my entire life built up into the moment I became a mother.

It's been 5 months since I brought my son into the world. I still can’t discuss his actual birth without crying. When people ask about the delivery and our experience, my husband and I talk about Abby. When other people talk about their delivery, my husband asks, “Was Abby your nurse?” I have to remind him that other nurses work in that department, and they are all amazing!