Kaiser Redwood City nurse hailed as "cheerleader" by new mom

Mother celebrates her ‘cheerleader’ nurse in letter

Labor and delivery nurse Maryrose Herron stayed past her shift to continue coaching a patient through her tough labor.

For 7 and a half hours, labor and delivery nurse Maryrose Herron stood by the bedside of Meghan Hussey as she pushed to give birth to her baby girl.

Two days before that, Hussey arrived at the Kaiser Permanente Redwood City Medical Center, excited to be induced to have her second child who was past her due date.

Hussey said she thought her delivery was going to be easier because she had given birth before without any difficulty. But this time her delivery was more difficult and longer, which is not uncommon from one pregnancy to the next for any woman. She got an infection and a fever, and after her epidural, Hussey started experiencing painful back spasms.

Throughout the tough labor and delivery process, Hussey said Herron was the champion she needed.

“There was one point when I didn’t think I was going to make it,” Hussey said. “I was so tired from pushing for so long that I just started crying. I was ready to give up because I was in so much pain. Maryrose told me the words of encouragement that I needed to hear.”

A strong bond

Herron, who has been a nurse at the Redwood City Medical Center for 5 years, initially admitted Hussey and walked her to her room. The 2 struck up a conversation and immediately connected, sharing a few laughs while talking about their children.

The next day, Hussey requested that Herron be her nurse. Herron said she remembers the contrast between how chipper Hussey was when she first met her and how distraught she became during her arduous laboring process.

“I felt like we had a strong bond because she was going through so much,” Herron said. “It was difficult and heart-wrenching.”

Herron tried to help Hussey during the labor and delivery in any way she could, including massaging her back to alleviate her spasms, holding her hand, and giving her several pep talks.

At one point during the labor, Hussey was in and out of consciousness. So, the care team started preparing her for an emergency C-section, which is something Hussey did not want. Herron took the patient’s hand and loudly said, “Meghan! I need you to focus. I need you to talk to me.”

“She was in my face, like a best friend,” Hussey said. “And it worked. I stayed lucid, and they ended up not having to give me a C-section. I couldn’t have anybody else in my room except my husband because of COVID-19 visitation rules. Maryrose became my person. She was my cheerleader.”

‘I’m gonna stay’

Right at shift change for the nurses, Hussey finally became 10 centimeters dilated, meaning that she was close to having her daughter, Herron said. But Herron did not want to leave after seeing the sadness in the patient’s eyes.

“I just felt like she needed me to continue to help her,” Herron said. “So, I remember saying, ‘I’m gonna stay until we get this baby out.’”

After about an hour more of pushing, Kenzie Hussey was finally born on April 12, 2021.

“It was one of those moments when I knew exactly where I should be,” Herron said. “Everyone cried in the room. It was beautiful to witness the strength that Meghan had. It’s exactly why I became a labor and delivery nurse.”

Herron’s encouragement through the labor and her dedication to being there for the baby’s birth meant so much to Hussey that she wrote a thank-you letter dedicated to Herron once she was home from the hospital.

“Maryrose, you are an amazing human and an exceptional nurse,” Hussey wrote. “Thank you for being you and thank you for being my nurse. I absolutely could not have done it without you.”