For me, (father) it started from Katie’s immediate demonstration of bedside manner when she came on shift. My wife was in the hospital bed chatting through the next steps with the anesthesiology team when Katie entered the room and immediately came right up to my wife's side and introduced herself. Not overwhelmingly so, just the reassurance that she was on the case and would be helping her through the next few very special hours of her life.

My wife, now in the middle of a scheduled induction of our first child and working through the process of preparing for labor. For the next 13 hours, Katie showed extraordinary care for my wife and the entire family. To me, it was broken down into three key areas including advocacy, coaching, and commitment. My wife's mother and I were in the room with her and throughout the day Katie clearly articulated the plan and what to expect next precursing the inevitable questions we had and providing comfort and clarity to my wife. She consistently advocated for my wife and in one specific example with her epidural not being adequate Katie ensured that there was a second opinion sought to provide her with the appropriate treatment, not just accepting the initial diagnosis that the pain “was normal”. This compassion was evident throughout our experience.

This being our first child, we didn’t know all the processes and procedures very well. We knew we wanted a healthy delivery for mom and baby however we didn’t know the fastest way to get there. Katie stepped in and offered solutions taking the time to talk through them, sharing with us the positives and potential drawbacks allowing us to make a decision that suited my wife the best. This coaching in my mind made a huge difference in my wife delivering in less than 24 hours since the start of induction. Changing positions and introducing new aids encouraged by Katie to take a safe but deliberate outside of her comfort zone in an effort to ensure that we could limit stress on my wife and child.

When my wife was ready to push, nearly at the end time of Katie’s shift she didn’t just hand off to the next nurse; she showed that she was committed to us and that is something our family will always be thankful for. It wasn’t a new person that my wife had to have this experience with, it was Katie who had been by our side all day and supported her. Continuing her coaching, Katie taught me how I could support my wife by counting and providing assurance and how my wife could maximize each push always encouraging her with positivity. My daughter was born safely, expanding our family and bringing us so much joy.

We collectively want to thank Katie for being there and providing our family with so much support going way beyond the call of duty. She clearly demonstrates a passion for patients and their treatment. Every shift that Katie works we feel the family is very fortunate to have her by their side.