Delivering a child into this world is a powerful, life-altering experience, but often the aftermath can leave us weaker and physically vulnerable. After the umbilical cord is cut and all our family and friends are off celebrating the new baby, it’s the labor and delivery nurses who are there doing the difficult work of helping the moms recover. They are with us every sore, shuffling step of the way to make sure we are okay.
Jill Krause of the blog Baby Rabies recently posted a heartfelt shout-out on Facebook dedicated to all the hardworking labor and delivery nurses out there. Her words will sound familiar to anyone who has ever had to do their first post-delivery walk to the bathroom while heavily leaning on the angel that is your nurse.
“I’ll never forget the faces of the nurses who followed me into the bathroom after delivering each baby,” she writes. “That moment when I was so vulnerable, so tired, scared, shaky. My swollen belly deflating, and my modesty long gone. They treated me with such kindness and dignity.”
Krause’s words, along with a touching photo by MommaKT Shoots featuring a nurse helping a brand new mom in the bathroom, are conjuring up memories for many mothers. Her post has so far been shared over 40,000 times and is filled with over 4,000 comments from women sharing stories about their own amazing nurses and how they helped them during those first few painful hours after the delivery when you’re exhausted and dealing with so many things that are new and unknown.
Sometimes these nurses serve double duty as both nurse and birth photographer.
Image via Facebook
They can also lend great support during labor as well.
Image via Facebook
Nurses see new moms when we are at our most vulnerable, and they are always there to help.
Image via Facebook
Best of all, nurses always have the hookup when you’re craving some yummy food!
Image via Facebook
Krause goes on to explain that although she might not have personally known her nurses, having them with her during such an emotional chapter of her life made her feel like a part of something much bigger.
“For me, these have been moments of empowerment and confirmation that I have a real village to help me, even if just for that little bit of time in a bathroom, on a toilet, while a kind nurse shows me how to put an ice pad on my mesh undies.”
Yes, we absolutely love our OBs and all that they do to take care of our babies and us. We are forever grateful for your hard work in helping make sure our little ones make it from our bellies to the bassinet. We salute the nurses who always remember that moms are their patients too, who make us feel less embarrassed by our bodily fluids and who make sure we feel as comfortable as possible after the longest day of our lives — we honestly could not do this without you.
Do you have any experiences with maternity nurses that you would like to share? Let us know in the comments section, and please be sure to share this story with your friends and family.
Source: Cafe Mom
