Before we forget names, we want to thank the following staff from Bratt. Memorial Hospital:

Leah– for being by our side when contractions began and comforting us when we were scared about what was happening. Also, for hanging out at night with us in our room and joking with us after Renee was finally born.

Gloria–for working me through hypnobirthing when contractions got really strong, and for being sweet and reassuring.

Raine–the first midwife on call, for her calm and sweet and comforting nature, especially when things got frustratingly slow.

Kim–for holding my hand when contractions were so strong I couldn’t sit still, and for giving me back massages while Chris held on to me and I cried.

Amy–for rearranging our room to look nice and welcoming in the middle of the night, and keeping vigil by my side when things started to really progress and pushing began.

Lois–the most wonderful midwife! She is truly called to be in this profession. For being motherly, sweet and ever so comforting, guiding me through the extreme frustrations. When we finally broke down and did the epidural, I felt like a failure; Lois spoke up and said she was so proud of me and that the epidural had nothing to do with being a failure. At 5 in the morning, Lois had been on an almost 48 hour shift but you would not know it by her demeanor. She joked with us and encouraged us when we pushed, and she was the first to hold Renee and put her right up to my chest! She cried and said the baby was so beautiful. We are so happy that she was on call for Renee’s birth, she made it so special.

Caroline–the grandmotherly nurse who held screaming Renee to do her Apgar test, and who enjoyed every minute of it and was laughing and joking around.

Patricia and Dawn–both excellent lactation consultants who sat with me through the first frustrating hours of trying to get a hold of the breastfeeding thing. They popped in and out on a daily basis to see if I had questions or they could help. Both of them had an excellent sense of humor and undying patience. I’m not sure I could have done it without them!

Elizabeth–the pediatrician who first saw Renee and oohed and aahed over her. We now have her as Renee’s primary care provider and at her first checkup the day after we brought her home, Elizabeth helped us to see that a lot of the things we had worried about were normal and Renee was healthy and O.k.

There were many more people at the hospital who were great, but unfortunately we don’t remember names! I was so impressed with the hospital and that they allowed us to have as much time one on one with the baby as possible; even when they needed to do tests and checkups, they did it in the room with her right in my arms. It really helped us all to bond.