During your birthing experience, the real heroes are the Labor & delivery and Post-Delivery nurses. These people are truly amazing individuals. I was so impressed with each and every one of the nurses I came in contact with during my stay in the hospital.
These nurses treat you as if you were family and as if you were their first patient of the day, regardless of how long they’ve already been on their shift. I know they are just ‘doing their job’, but it takes special type of person to become a nurse. They do a lot of the heavy lifting and are with you the most during your labor & delivery and recovery experience. These women (at least who I had), are showing you how to take care of yourself after having a baby. All of the bleeding and pain you experience for the first 2-8 weeks after giving birth is just not fun (there’s really no other way to describe it). They help give you relief and teach you what you need to do during this difficult time. They are just awesome people to deal with all of the different types of women who give birth. I can only imagine those women who are completely unbearable to deal with, but I know they still give their best regardless. I, of course, was an angel during my stay in the hospital – right Patrick? 😊
I am especially grateful to my nurse when I gave birth and my overnight post-delivery nurse.
For my nurse who was with me when I gave birth, I ended up giving birth towards the end of her shift (actually a little past her shift) and had been with her for 12 hours prior to that. She helped me get through the most painful experience of my life. She was very encouraging and stayed by my side the whole time. She checked on me and made sure I was okay and didn’t need anything. If did need anything, she was on top of it. When I realized I was going to be ‘pushing’ this baby out after her shift ended, I mentally was hoping and praying she wouldn’t leave me. She didn’t. I was so grateful. Without her I feel like I wouldn’t have been able to get through it in the manner in which I did. She made that pain just a little more bearable.
For my overnight post-delivery nurse, she literately is the reason I was able to nurse Leia while we were in the hospital. I was having some challenges getting Leia to breastfeed after birth. She helped give me tips and physically showed me how to nurse properly. She spent nearly an hour with me, overnight, showing me how to improve my technique. Being a new mom, all of that was completely new. I felt so overwhelmed and was very emotional. She made my recovery so much better. My sweet Leia had jaundice after birth. My nurse helped calm me down during my emotional breakdown after dealing with that. She taught my husband and I how to properly swaddle the baby (that still comes in handy today). She helped make sure Leia was well taken care of and that we both had everything we needed. Leia and I are so blessed to have had her with us.
All in all, don’t take your nurses for granted people. Without them, you would be in misery. Be kind, be nice, be respectful to them. They deserve it.
Shout out to all L&D and Post-Delivery Nurses (all nurses really), you ROCK! Thank you for your service!
Pro Hospital Tip – Before you leave the hospital with your new baby, make sure you ask for anything you think you’ll need. Most hospitals will let you take some of the stuff home with you (like pads, diapers, wipes, formula, etc…). Make sure to take advantage of this. It comes in handy those first few days at home. Trust me.
If you have any cool nurse stories, feel free to share in the comments below.