Thank You to Our Nurses

The following picture taken by Katie Lacer of MommaKT Shoots Photography has become very popular on social media, and I can see why! Both as a nurse and as a mother, I have experienced what labor & delivery and post partum nurses do to care for their patients.  It is such a vulnerable time for new mothers and the support that nurses give is never forgotten.

"I'll never forget the faces of the nurses who followed me into the bathroom after delivering each baby. 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 k…

"I'll never forget the faces of the nurses who followed me into the bathroom after delivering each baby. 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. 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. This photo by my friend MommaKT Shoots just takes me right back. Like, I can smell the Dermaplast. Let's hear it for the nurses and the doulas and anyone else who shows us how to make ice pad underwear (or helps with that first shower post c-section!)"

Katie Lacer was documenting the birthing process and told the Huffington Post that this picture was the mother’s first trip to the bathroom after giving birth. The changes that a new mother experiences during and after the birth of a baby isn't always the most glamorous of experiences.  This nurse was helping the new mother by giving her an ice pack. 

Her nurse didn’t hesitate to kneel in front of her to help her slip into her exceptionally flattering postpartum mesh panties and cold pack after helping her clean up a little bit,” Lacer said. “It was a quiet moment that I just happened to turn around and see. It wasn’t planned or expected. I was nearing the end of her birth story and it seemed fitting that I would include the moment as a solid end point.
— Katie Lacer speaking to the Huffington Post

There is obviously so much more to nursing than just ice packs, but I couldn't help but think of all of the wonderful things that nurses do for their patients to take away pain and help them at a vulnerable time in their lives.

As a mother, I'll never forget the nurses that helped to ease the pain of childbirth and help me adjust to my body after my daughter arrived.  As a nurse (who has never worked L&D), I was amazed to observe the nurses as they seamlessly helped with the birthing process. 

Thank you to our nurses who sacrifice so much to ensure that patients are well cared for regardless of their ethnicity, background, or culture.  

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AuthorCourtney Tracy