"When you spend 12 hours a day taking care of someone, day after day, you're going to develop a relationship, unless you have no personality at all," said Mary Anne Newkirk.

Newkirk, 62, is a nurse in the antepartum unit at WellStar Kennestone Hospital in Marietta. She works with pregnant women who have been confined to bed rest because of medical conditions or those with high-risk pregnancies, and she helps prevent them from giving birth prematurely.

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RELATED LINKS: • Complete list of Nursing Excellence Awards nominees • Celebrating Nurses

Jennifer Ganyard, who nominated Newkirk for the award, was expecting her first baby and was suffering from pre-eclampsia (high blood pressure and other serious symptoms) when she met the nurse.

She remembered Newkirk greeting her with "the friendliest smile."

"Whenever she walked into the room, she was bigger than life and full of happiness," Ganyard said.

As they got to know each other, Ganyard shared her concerns about childbirth. She was worried because her condition had caused her to miss childbirth classes.

Newkirk promised to coach Ganyard through delivery. On Nov. 18, Ganyard learned that her baby had died in utero after complications with the umbilical cord and that doctors would have to induce labor. Although Newkirk wasn't scheduled to work that day, she kept her promise.

"She stood by my side — next to my husband — and helped me deliver our baby boy. She wiped my face with a cool cloth and made me realize that I had strength I didn't know I had," Ganyard said.

In the months afterward, Newkirk kept in touch with the grieving woman and helped her deal with the loss. Newkirk told Ganyard that she lost her daughter, and the two women have formed a close bond.

"If you leave each day knowing you've taken care of people well — if you've made them feel a little better and they are looking forward to seeing you the next day — then you know you've done a good job," Newkirk said.