Our 33-week ultrasound revealed that our baby had significant hydrops and needed an urgent induction for his safety. Of course, receiving that news was frightening and worrying for us. Our entire care team did a phenomenal job addressing our medical, emotional, and spiritual needs throughout the birthing process.

On our first night in the hospital, the monitors had a difficult time getting a consistent read on our baby's heart rate, with a lot of extra amniotic fluid posing some challenges. Payton worked tirelessly and patiently all through the night, despite needing to come back repeatedly to reposition. Throughout our next day, Taylor and Nikki provided us with wonderful care. They listened as we shared our hopes and our worries, offering reassurance and encouragement. As our induction kicked into gear the next day, we watched our nursing team demonstrate incredible communication throughout the day. Taylor and Clara were both called in to cover unexpectedly, and they were so cheerful throughout the day. They made us feel as comfortable as they possibly could.

We shared in the morning with Taylor that the baby's father hoped to baptize the baby in the delivery room, given the likely concerns that we were prepared to face. She prepared the sterile water, and then the nursing team communicated our hope throughout the day during handoff. We never had to repeat our hope again- each nurse communicated how they were handing off our needs to the next teammate. We felt such deep reassurance in their advocacy for us, knowing the NICU team would be aware of our hope when the time came. They introduced themselves and prepared us for each shift change well in advance. Halle Peterson was our Champion Nurse when the time to push finally arrived! Her calming presence was amazing. She communicated with the OBs and other MDs, giving us so much confidence that all the care we would need would be in place. She talked us through what delivery would look like with both the OB and NICU teams in the room. When we needed to decide on delivery by forceps, Halle was a key part of our conversation with the doctors as we discussed the potential risks and how the team would keep everyone safe and manage them.

As the baby arrived and both teams jumped into action, Halle remained such an emotionally grounded rock for us to lean on. She calmly talked us through what was happening. Baby's dad was able to baptize him just the way he hoped, thanks to wonderful communication from our nursing team all day long. When our baby needed a few chest compressions as the NICU team got him breathing, Halle was right there for both mom and dad to ensure that we were okay. After baby was transferred to the NICU, her encouragement and reassurance continued until she dropped us off in our postpartum room. When we remember our baby's birth in the years to come, our memories will be not just of the scary and frightening moments. We will remember the incredibly personal and comforting care that our nursing team provided for us! Their expertise and compassion helped make our baby's birth the joyful experience we hoped for, despite some very challenging circumstances.

Thank you to Payton, Taylor, Nikki, and Clara for helping to set us up for success. A very special thank you to Halle for your incredible work through the baby's delivery and birth. The team's excellence in care, incredible teamwork and communication, and personal connection with us made all the difference!