Five Life Lessons I Learned From Nurses

Discover five life lessons I learned from nurses. Gain insights into resilience, compassion, and the importance of care and empathy.

Thinking back to my first birth, and even my second, of course I remember the doctors because I chose them and saw them for all nine months prior to delivery. It’s the nurses, though, that I tell all the GOOD stories about. They make such an impact.

Five Life Lessons I Learned From Nurses:

I remember my nurse, Lynn, for my daughter, Scarlet’s, birth. I had three birth mix CDs and one was playing Talking Heads’ “Once in a Lifetime.” Lynn and my husband, Cassidy, were singing and dancing on either side of me during labor. They were the best labor coaches I could have imagined! Lynn missed Scarlet’s birth because I was in labor for 14 hours, and she stopped after a 12 hour shift, but she came back the next morning to meet Scarlet and congratulate us both on being new parents.

When I went into labor with Des, I wasn’t ready. I had no bags packed, my in-laws were in another country, and Scarlet was with me. I didn’t want her there for the birth. Two nurses took her hand and got her settled with a goody bag, while I was checked out. They stayed with her and kept her entertained until my friends were able to pick Scarlet up and take her home to my parents and other in-laws. The birth experience was as good as it had been with Scarlet, but Des had to go to the NICU for a week after birth. There, at the other hospital, it was nurses all over again.

You showed it not just to my babies, but to all of us. Here are the lessons:

1. We each communicate in our own ways. Des used to smile in his sleep, even right after birth. Call it gas, call it what you will, but he was on the more mellow side than the other babies in the NICU. There was one that cried like a cat nearly all hours of the day. The nurses would see my shocked face, smile patiently, and say, “That baby just communicates differently than yours.” And although my baby was calm, he had other ways of telling us something was off. I watched his heart rate, oxygen saturation and blood pressure go up and down enough to learn that his body was communicating things to us.

2. Environment is important. Most nurses want you and your baby to go home nearly as badly as you want that. In the meantime, they work tirelessly to make sure you, your baby, and the hospital room are all comfortable and in harmony.

3. Human touch matters. Every nurse I’ve met has either supported or even gently pushed me towards skin-to-skin contact with my babies, as well as healthy breastfeeding relationships. It’s however you can find that amazing touch.

4. Make your feelings heard. I politely asked for an epidural once.. and nurse Lynn couldn’t believe I was in pain because I didn’t seem like I was in pain. I was afraid to trouble her. “Being troubled is my job right now!” She said.

5. Patience is key. Whether you’re waiting for your baby to come, after 48 hours of labor, or you’re waiting for the NICU to release your baby, it can feel like forever. It isn’t. Patience is often rewarded.

Have you heard of the #ThankYouNurses campaign by Pampers Swaddlers? It’s a program that celebrates the essential role that nurses play during the first few seconds, minutes, hours and days between newborns and parents. The #ThankYouNurses campaign honors nurses that go above and beyond to make life #BetterForBaby (and parents) every day.