One Frontier Nursing University (FNU) nurse-midwifery graduate received worldwide attention this past month after leaving mid-hair appointment to attend a birth. Did we mention her highlight foils were still in-tact? Carrie Lee-Hall, a certified nurse-midwife, was a couple miles away from the hospital at the hair salon when she received word that her patient was ready to deliver. Without wasting a moment, she took off to the hospital where the baby arrived less than 20 minutes later.

“First time for everything!” Hall posted on Facebook with a photo of her holding the baby. “Thought I’d share. I was at the salon and nature called!”
 
We weren’t surprised when the image quickly went viral after sharing the photo on our FNU Facebook page. Domestic and international news outlets picked up the story, causing thousands of people to be both enthralled and amused by Carrie’s quick response that caused her to deliver a baby with foiled hair.
 
While the scenario gave us a chuckle, the FNU community is also proud to have alumni like Carrie who are so dedicated to their patient’s care.  
 
“Many people on social media joked that I should have taken out the foils before I left the salon for the sake of not harming my hair, but when I got that phone call nothing was more important than getting to my patient,” said Carrie. “My patients are my first priority and there is nowhere I’d rather be than helping them safely bring new life into the world.”
 
For Hall, a fourth-generation midwife, caring for mothers and babies is second-hand nature. With a focus on serving rural areas, Carrie became the first Certified Nurse-Midwife in many years to practice in Hazard, Ky. In addition to a master’s degree in nurse-midwifery, Carrie returned to FNU to obtain both a Women’s Health Care Nurse Practitioner certification and a Family Nurse Practitioner certification  so that she can treat families as a whole. She is also a sexual assault nurse examiner.
 
As Kitty Ernst, FNU Mary Breckinridge Chair of Midwifery, once said, “The ‘heart’ of midwifery is really synonymous with ‘mothering’ – mothering with unconditional love.”
 
Thank you, Carrie, for displaying unwavering dedication and love to your patients - even when it means cutting out early on a hair appointment.
 
And for the record, we think your hair turned out great, too.

Related Content: Alumni Spotlight: Carrie Lee-Hall MSN, WHNP, FNP, SANE, CNM