May 2021
Cynthia
Aguilar
,
BSN, RN
Maternity Services
Loma Linda University Children's Hospital
Loma Linda
,
CA
United States
Cynthia came in to bring us to our delivery room and our anxiety melted away.
I gave birth at Loma Linda. Our Labor and Delivery nurse made such a difference that both my husband and I wanted to write this together. It had been a difficult pregnancy and needless to say, we were nervous. I had a very long labor so we got the pleasure of having Cynthia in the wee hours of the morning and then again in the late hours of the night. Sitting in the triage area was both exciting and nerve-racking. Cynthia came in to bring us to our delivery room and our anxiety melted away with her upbeat and positive personality.
In the time that we spent with her, she showed us her advocacy, expertise, and compassion. Cynthia advocated for me by getting anesthesiology as soon as possible because we thought my labor would be too fast to get an epidural. She also let oncoming staff know my birth plan and my want to be confidential. Our birth plan was one of the most important things for us. We wanted something different and special to be done after our son was born and she made sure it happened. Now my husband and I will always have the memory of cutting our baby’s cord together. Labor was supposed to be fast, as this was my third baby. So when Cynthia came on again for night shift, she was surprised that I still had not delivered or even progressed in labor. Suddenly, like a light bulb over her head, she got the idea that something was different about my amniotic sac. She checked and sure enough, she was right. Cynthia got the doctor in and my water was popped two extra times. After that, my labor progressed as fast as we had originally thought. If it wasn’t for Cynthia’s expertise in her field, who knows how much longer I would have been in labor.
As delivery got closer, I was getting more and more anxious. I was trembling, scared of how delivery would go. Cynthia saw this, sat next to me, and asked me what I was feeling. She heard my concerns. She was even more amazing when she noticed my husband’s distress and asked him what he was feeling. After hearing both of us, she alleviated all our worries by explaining everything to us and coaching me on what my body is going through and how to handle everything. The entire time Cynthia was present she demonstrated competence and confidence. She put her whole heart into taking care of us and guided us so much on this journey. As a fellow nurse and first responder, we know how much of a difference whole person care can make. For these reasons, we believe Cynthia should be acknowledged for her advocacy, expertise, and compassion.
In the time that we spent with her, she showed us her advocacy, expertise, and compassion. Cynthia advocated for me by getting anesthesiology as soon as possible because we thought my labor would be too fast to get an epidural. She also let oncoming staff know my birth plan and my want to be confidential. Our birth plan was one of the most important things for us. We wanted something different and special to be done after our son was born and she made sure it happened. Now my husband and I will always have the memory of cutting our baby’s cord together. Labor was supposed to be fast, as this was my third baby. So when Cynthia came on again for night shift, she was surprised that I still had not delivered or even progressed in labor. Suddenly, like a light bulb over her head, she got the idea that something was different about my amniotic sac. She checked and sure enough, she was right. Cynthia got the doctor in and my water was popped two extra times. After that, my labor progressed as fast as we had originally thought. If it wasn’t for Cynthia’s expertise in her field, who knows how much longer I would have been in labor.
As delivery got closer, I was getting more and more anxious. I was trembling, scared of how delivery would go. Cynthia saw this, sat next to me, and asked me what I was feeling. She heard my concerns. She was even more amazing when she noticed my husband’s distress and asked him what he was feeling. After hearing both of us, she alleviated all our worries by explaining everything to us and coaching me on what my body is going through and how to handle everything. The entire time Cynthia was present she demonstrated competence and confidence. She put her whole heart into taking care of us and guided us so much on this journey. As a fellow nurse and first responder, we know how much of a difference whole person care can make. For these reasons, we believe Cynthia should be acknowledged for her advocacy, expertise, and compassion.