June 2022
Jennifer
McCutcheon
,
RN
Labor & Delivery
BayCare St. Joseph's Women's Hospital
Tampa
,
FL
United States
She helped me through getting the spinal block, quietly holding my hand and reminding me to breathe.
Firstly, every person I have encountered here - RNs, techs, cleaning crew - has been amazing, and I would definitely feel like I was in good hands with all of them, but this story is about one particular nurse. She was my nurse the longest in L&D. She took over at shift change from the impressive nurse prior who, despite only having 40 min left, made me feel like I was the only important thing in the world at that moment. This nurse did the same over a longer period of time. She explained everything she was doing and why, which is important to someone going through pregnancy for the first time, and even more so for someone who is experiencing delivery early, which can be terrifying. Once it was determined we would have to have a c-section for my health and that of the baby, she was sure to be right there with us. I think she could see that I was terrified, and this was definitely not the preferred plan for me. She helped me through getting the spinal block, quietly holding my hand and reminding me to breathe without putting too much emphasis on what was happening. She checked in with me periodically throughout the procedure, and throughout the several hours we were together, her bedside manner was spot on. She clearly knows how to read the room and match her personality to that of the patient to help keep things calm and under control. I would absolutely love the opportunity to work with her again - hopefully under less scary circumstances. She truly is a keeper!