Hearing the gut-wrenching cry of a woman who just found out her baby was no longer alive is something I will never forget. Tonight made me appreciate the work of our nurses and OBs even more than I already did.
A common misconception is that labor and delivery nurses have the best job because they get to play with babies and be there for the most exciting time in a couple's lives. There is a dark and sad flip-side to that. We are also the ones that are there for the absolute saddest moments in some of their lives...losing the baby that they have been waiting their whole lives to meet. Whether it is a baby that was only 8 weeks, 16 weeks or one that was 39 weeks, it is the loss of that family's hopes and dreams. This is the most delicate and fragile time in these couple's lives and to be a part of that journey is something that we should be thankful for and use as an opportunity to really make a difference.
This job and becoming a mother myself have taught me compassion and empathy like I have never experienced before. I can only hope that when it is my turn to care for a family who has experienced a loss, I will embrace it and do my best to help the family create memories of their baby that might help them find peace one day.
My prayer for that sweet family is that they feel God's love all around them in the coming hours, days and weeks and know that they will forever have a precious little guardian angel watching over them.
My prayer for parents (myself included) is that the next time you start to get frustrated that your baby won't sleep through the night or that they woke you up before your alarm, just take a second. Take a second to be thankful for that precious baby and their sweet cry. Parenting is HARD, but we all need to just take a step back, enjoy the little things, and be thankful that we get to experience all of these things we usually take for granted. There are people all over the world that would give anything to be up all night soothing a baby or to be woken up by a cry instead of an alarm clock.
Go hug your babies....tight.
