One of the happiest days of your life can also be one of the scariest days of your life. From the day I found out I was pregnant I prayed for a healthy baby. At forty weeks and five days, I chose, along with my provider, to have an induction. We arrived at the hospital at 6 am. I was excited to meet and see my baby, but I also feared the unknown of pain, labor, and delivery complications. I was greeted by Callie, the night nurse, who was kind and began the admission process. At the switch of shifts, I realized that I was getting a new nurse for the day shift. This nurse would spend the next twelve hours with me and possibly the delivery of my baby. I was a bit reserved as I listened to them communicate information about me. I am not comfortable with hospitals and to be totally honest, I am not much for needles or pain. It didn't take long to see that God had blessed me with exactly who I needed. Danielle was spectacular! She put me right at ease. She was so positive with me: "We are going to have a baby today", "You got this", "I will explain everything", and "Ask me any questions you want". Danielle barely left my side. She offered to give me privacy, but I felt safer with her by my side. She shared that she teaches with ECU. She was "9 Pounds" educator as she explained everything she did or was going to do so that I understood, and it calmed my fears. As the morning went on my contractions with "9 Pound" became so painful that I requested an epidural. The first epidural did not take and had to be replaced. Over a span of two hours, Danielle hugged and held me through the contractions and epidural placements. She expressed nothing but encouraging words giving me calmness and comfort. I progressed throughout the afternoon and my midwife noted that if the baby would drop a bit more I could begin to push. It was so cute...Danielle took off her jacket and told me we had to get to work. She had me rotate through multiple positions to help the baby drop so that I could start pushing. I was beyond excited that I would be meeting my baby boy soon. She was magic because it worked!! By 7 pm I was in the throws of pushing. It was time for Danielle to be off duty. I was afraid and I really did not want her to leave me. We had connected so well during the day that Danielle could tell I was uncomfortable with her leaving. She quickly told me she wasn't going anywhere. Danielle stayed with me through 3 hours of pushing and delivering a 9-pound 1-ounce baby boy. Even though the room was extremely busy with all the team members there was a sense of peace as I saw Danielle's familiar face. She stayed with me until 10 pm. She was so happy and excited to see my baby boy born. She was my safeguard, my cheerleader, and my gift for this very moment of time! Danielle, thank you!!! Thank you for being the kind of nurse who exemplifies kindness and compassion. You have certainly found the gift you were blessed with. May you continue to bless others as you have blessed me.