Portrait of a Tender (#2) - Heidi - Labor and Delivery

 Heidi knew from the time she could talk that she wanted to be a nurse.  In high school she fell in love with the realm of childbirth while interning on labor and delivery at UVA. She began working as an RN in the birthing center at MJH shortly after the birth of her first child, and that was 17 years ago now.  "The honor and privilege of helping someone do what I consider to be the best thing they will ever do, becoming a mom,  that's what has kept me in nursing." 

Although birth is often a celebration, it is also one of the most anxiety provoking or downright frightening events in many womens' lives, and it is frequently the first time they have ever been hospitalized.  The pandemic has brought a host of extra worries and restrictions to an event that is already laden with stress and fear of the unknown.  Trying to balance the responsibility of enforcing restrictions and ensuring safety,  while also providing the deeply emotional and physical care that nurses give women during childbirth, and "doing it all with a smile and a positive attitude, it has just been utterly exhausting."  

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