I gave birth to my first child at UMPC Altoona. I was admitted, and Becki was the nurse assigned to care for me during the initial part of my stay. Becki did a wonderful job explaining everything to me and my husband. She made us feel comfortable and supported throughout her shift. Twelve hours later, when Becki returned to work, we were still in the hospital awaiting the arrival of our child. We did request to have Becki as our nurse for the next shift, but we were told that she had a different role that day.

However, when it was determined that my son was to be delivered by an emergency C-section, we were fortunate to have Becki in the operating room with us. Becki's presence was reassuring during a time of immense stress. I felt relieved to see a familiar face when so many of the other people working in the room were ones that I had not known more than a few brief minutes prior to the surgery.

The very next day, my son was transferred to UPMC Children's Hospital in Pittsburgh. We only saw our son again briefly as he was brought to use with his traveling team. We were unable to interact with him as he was strapped into his travel incubator and sleeping. Needless to say, it was incredibly shocking and scary to see our tiny baby strapped into the incubator with tubes and wires, especially when he appeared perfectly fine the last time that we saw him.

Again, Becki was not the nurse tasked with caring for me at this time. However, she did make an effort to come to see me prior to my very early discharge from the hospital (so that I could follow my son to Pittsburgh). She came to my room to reassure me that everything would be okay, and she gave me a hug. That seemingly simple gesture speaks volumes for the type of care that Becki provides her patients (current and former). I had no idea that she was even working that morning, so I certainly did not anticipate that I would see her again before I left the hospital. She could have easily gone about her day, and I never would have known the difference. I am so appreciative of the extra effort that Becki showed to make a simple gesture that meant the world to me in a time of uncertainty and stress. Becki is a phenomenal nurse with an unmatched bedside manner. I am so grateful that our paths crossed and can only hope that if I deliver another child at UMPC Altoona in the future, I will be fortunate enough to cross paths with Becki again.