On Wednesday night our eighteen-year-old daughter was checked-in for her scheduled induction. You, Mica Nelson, became her caregiver for a very exciting, scary and significant event in her life.
Your gentle and encouraging voice, as you asked her all the required registration questions was reassuring not just to my daughter and the baby's father but also to my husband and me. You shared your personal story with her, of being a young mom at the age of eighteen when you gave birth to your son, who will soon be nineteen years old. I saw the smile on my daughter's face when you said to her, "You can do this." I knew in that second you were going to be a huge blessing to all of us.
My daughter and her older sister are adopted and as parents, we had never been through childbirth as a couple. I had taken childbirth classes and a breastfeeding class with my daughter because of the father's work schedule. My plan was that I would be her birth coach when the time came. Your professional and personal experience showed us that this childbirth was a journey that my daughter and the father needed to be on together.
My daughter has a goal to be a nurse. She will be taking classes this spring to have her final requirements in place. I asked her to tell you what she wants to do. I loved your honesty in saying, "It is the hardest thing you will ever do, but you will love it." You gave her important details about the benefits of small class sizes that you appreciated as a graduate. Your positive attitude and advice about the nursing profession were so warm and loving to my daughter. It also distracted her from some of her nervousness, and you established a relationship with her that built trust.
When it was time for you to check to see how far she was dilated, you turned to us and respectfully asked us to give you a few minutes to examine her and get her settled in, and we could wait in the family waiting room. After we returned to her room, you very clearly explained that the cervix softener could take 12 hours. The father would be staying with her through the night. You answered all our questions as we discussed the plan that we would wait at home on Thursday morning for the call from our daughter that it was time to start the Pitocin.
When we returned on Thursday your shift was over. Two other nurses were with her and gave her wonderful care throughout the long and painful passing hours. When it was getting close to the shift change, they prepared us that their time with our daughter was ending. When you walked in, I felt a sigh of relief that you were back to help our daughter get to the finish line and finally be victorious and in less pain giving birth to our first grandchild. We appreciated your patience in answering our questions and concerns.
You were diligent in your efforts to relieve her pain from trying various side body positions, re-doses of pain medicines to help her deal with the pain and even the lavender oil on the washcloth as a natural calming scent. Your updates and consistent communication with the doctor were very comforting to all of us.
When she passed the 24th-hour mark, we knew decisions needed to be made. When the doctor came in to discuss the options, we headed down to our waiting area. That might have been the longest 45 minutes of our lives.
When you met us in the hall to tell us she would be having a C-section, your sincerity and deep concern for her and the baby was obvious. We knew from many conversations in previous months leading up to the due date, having a C-section was my daughter's biggest fear. We knew as time passed, this was a strong possibility and what was best for the good health of my daughter and her baby. Part of her anxiety was telling me she wanted the father with her when it came time to push and now be by her side during the C-section. You handled that perfectly. I know that you and the father were sharing the reason for the final decision; the fact that my daughter was completely exhausted and had nothing left to aid in the baby's arrival.
The next time we saw you, we were in the recovery room with our daughter, the father, and our grandchild. My daughter was depleted and overjoyed, all at the same time. You continued to compliment her on how well she did. You were busy working on the charting and monitoring her vital signs.
At the same time, the baby was resting skin to skin on my daughter's chest. Our precious newborn was less than two hours old, and he was making adorable sounds and squirming in a search for my daughter's nipple. She wanted to see if he would latch on. You gently guided his head toward the target, but he cried and seemed frustrated in the shock and reality of his bright new world. We were thrilled to hear his healthy lungs and the dear sweet cries as we cheered him on, hoping he would settle down and latch. After a few attempts, you assured my daughter that he was fine and maybe it was time to swaddle and comfort him again.
The father asked me if I wanted to hold him and I deferred back to my daughter. As much as I wanted to hold him, I thought it was his parent's time to bond with their infant. You expertly folded the blankets, stood up and handed me my infant "burrito wrapped grandson." I was over the moon and elated with your words, "I think it's time for grandma." What a blessing for me. After grandpa and daddy cuddled and kissed him it was time for us to allow you to finish your job of preparing my family off the floor with all their bags. I hugged and kissed your cheek as we said goodbye. I told you that you would always be a part of our family, and I meant it.
I did not know until Saturday, when we had more time to discuss the details of the longest day of our lives, that you had stayed with my daughter during the C-section. We know that was helpful and very comforting to her. You gave of your time and went above and beyond in your caregiving and nursing expertise. Our daughter needed your loving touch and someone she trusted during this especially frightening and life-changing moment. We appreciated that very much.
You have touched our lives forever, and your impact will remain with my daughter as she works towards her dream of becoming a nurse. We are witnesses to how you, in your unselfish manner as a labor and delivery room nurse, provide care to the mother and unborn babies. You are working for many hours with not one, but two bodies. You help the mothers deal with the stress-filled pathway to giving life to their babies outside their safe and protected wombs. The emotional well-being of our daughter was an area that you realized needed some tender, loving care. We are forever grateful for your time, energy and effort. My daughter has settled into her new role as a mom with confidence as she heals and recovers from the trauma of childbirth that only a woman can understand.