Ashlie Labarda
March 2023
Ashlie
Labarda
,
BSN, RN
Labor & Delivery
Midland Memorial Hospital
Midland
,
TX
United States

 

 

 

She was cheerful, unrushed, calm, and confident and because of her, I felt like I could face my fears and was not alone.
I came into the L+D Unit in labor with my first baby around 4 am. I am a first time mom and was fighting a huge amount of fear and anxiety about having a baby. I'm an ER nurse myself, but that had just made me more anxious knowing all that could go wrong. But then Ashlie came into the room. I will never forget looking up at her from the bed and immediately feeling comforted by her kind eyes and big smile. She was cheerful, unrushed, calm, and confident and because of her, I felt like I could face my fears and was not alone. I know she was on the downhill slope of her shift, but she never let on if she was tired. She was so professional, yet in so many ways, motherly. I only had her for a few hours until shift change, but she made a huge impact on my experience as a patient and laboring mom. I will never forget her, or the care she provided to me. She even came back that night after my daughter was born to meet her and congratulate us. She really is an exceptional nurse and I was inspired to be like Ashlie for my patients.