"In February of 06 I gave birth to my first son. My husband and I were overwhelmed with excitement and fear as we arrived at the hospital. As much as an expectant mother tries to prepare herself for the birth, it rarely unfolds as planned or imagined. I was scared and intimidated. All that changed when I met Carla, the night nurse. She was wonderful.
I had a complicated birth and was in labor for more than 30 hours! Carla was with me almost the whole time. I never had to ask her twice for anything. With knowledge and compassion, she anticipated my needs and addresed them. Above all Carla treated me as if I were the first woman to ever give birth. We had a lot of time talking and sharing our lives together. She told me that she knew it was important to acknowledge that even though it wasn't her first birth, it was mine. For that she stood out and connected with me as a person as well as her patient.
I remember asking Carla if she ever tired of doing her job. She told me that there was nothing else she'd rather do. Every day the shift is different. But there remains the possibility of meeting and helping people. She is and always has been grateful to do the work that she does.
Before this experience, I thought of nurses as medical helpers...not the medical front line. Then I realized how wrong I was. Carla truly made an impact on me and my perception of nurses. I will remember her forever."
Thanks to our Guest Blogger Jeromine Ehrlich for sharing her story with Clever Nurses, we invite you to share yours!
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