Early in the morning in June, I had been in labor for over 30 hours when Morgan and her colleague started their shift in labor and delivery at Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital. At that point, my dilation had not progressed in hours. I was exhausted and in pain, but still wanted to try for a vaginal birth. Around the time Morgan came in, I decided I wanted to try an epidural. Morgan and her team made sure I understood how the process worked and what the pros and cons were. She was there to guide me through it as the anesthesiologist did the procedure. Not long after that, the doctor suggested adding Pitocin to help speed things along. The doctor also mentioned that a C-section was likely if things didn't progress. At this, I started crying and got very anxious because I wanted to avoid the surgery. Morgan listened to my concerns and led her colleague, my husband, and our doula in helping me get into different positions to try to speed labor along. Because my legs were numb from the epidural, Morgan made sure the team physically placed me in the positions, and she always explained how each position could help. Morgan was there for me for hours, providing compassionate encouragement and clear information the whole way. She truly went above and beyond.

When it became clear that I still wasn't dilated enough and was too exhausted to continue, I decided to have a C-section. I was upset that my labor had to go that way, but Morgan's encouragement and praise for how hard I'd worked made a lasting impression and helped me accept my need for the surgery. Again, Morgan helped explain the procedure to me in ways that I understood, and that made me less scared. She somehow did this while also quickly and efficiently prepping me for surgery so that I got into the operating room as soon after the decision as possible.

The C-section went smoothly, and my son was born. My husband and I are loving getting to know our little boy, and are so grateful for the beyond-positive experience we had at CRMH throughout the entire labor and delivery process. In particular, we will never forget Morgan's extraordinary level of compassion and support in those especially challenging last hours of labor, and the level of kindness with which she helped bring our son into the world.