Ten Lessons of a Labor and Delivery Nurse

I am so glad this is the last time I have to do this, I thought to myself when I crawled under the covers at 7:30am this morning after work. I thought the same thing when my body woke up at 10:30 am, then at 12:30 pm, then again at 2:00pm when I could not fall back asleep. 

But when I pulled into the parking lot for the last time, swiped my badge for the last time, and ordered to-go from Olive Garden for the last time, I kept thinking, I sure am going to miss this a whole lot. It especially hit me when I said goodbye to the day shift nurses for the last time. It's the people that really mean the most, and I am thankful to know such amazing nurses, scrub techs, and doctors. I am going to miss them the most. 

The truth is I don't work in a perfect place, but I sure do love it anyway. I love the night shift, the people I work with, and the honor of being present with a family when a new life is brought into the world. Now the time has come to say goodbye for now and step towards a new adventure. 

So in honor of my first job and my first year as a registered nurse, I offer this tribute to all the people who have ever taught me anything or worked alongside me. Most of all, I offer this tribute to the Lord who gave me a job in labor and delivery against all odds, and who sustained me through my first year of being a real nurse. Without further ado, here are ten lessons learned from a year of labor and delivery nursing. 

1. "I am the nurse!" This phrase, taught to me in nursing school, still rings in my head when I walk into a patient's room. It reminds me that I do have the confidence and competence to be what my patient needs me to be. 

In the past year and a half, I have learned so much and grown so much that I can hardly fathom it. Only 18 months ago, I graduated from nursing school and thought I knew everything I needed to know to be a real nurse. A year ago when I stepped into my first job, I quickly realized that I didn't know half as much as I though I did. Here and now, after only one year of experience, I am amazed at how much I have learned. I am no pro, but I sure have come a long way. 

I can now do what I thought I would never be able to do. I can triage patients, manage a delivery even without a doctor, recognize abnormal assessment findings, calm a patient's anxieties, and answer just about any question they may have. In all this, I learned to do hard things and persevere until you get it.

2. Teamwork makes the dream work. Value your coworkers and help each other out. Teamwork is more important than independence. 

3. Sleep is overrated. Well maybe not, but I keep telling myself that. The real lesson I learned from working nights is that I have to depend on Jesus more I depend on sleep. I used to rely on my consistent eight hours of sleep a night to sustain my strength and energy. When that was taken away, I learned to rely on the Lord for strength and stamina apart from sleep. Sleep cannot be my constant, Christ must be. God gives strength apart from sleep. 

Still, get your z's, people. It's good for your health. I hope you don't have to learn that lesson the way I did! 

4. God gives every breath. A baby's first cry is perhaps the most miraculous part of the whole birthing process. Every time I hear it, it reminds me that the Creator God is the one who breathes life into the lungs. He is amazing. 

5. You can make a difference in a complete stranger's life. I get less than a few hours to bond with my patients, and some of them will remember me for the rest of their lives. I have learned to make the most of that opportunity, for each encounter has the potential to make a huge difference. 

6. Patients are people. They aren't just contracting uteruses, drug-seekers, single moms, or abandoned girlfriends. They are real people with real emotions and concerns. They need to be acknowledged, cared for, and made to feel valued. Each one is loved by their Maker, and I get the chance to show them that love through the care I give. 

7. It's the little things. A warm blanket. A cool cloth. A touch on the shoulder or squeeze of the hand. A "you can do this" or a "you are so strong". Don't get so so caught up trying to save the day that you miss the little opportunities to make a difference. 

8. Pain leads to something new. Even Isaiah acknowledged that in Isaiah 66:9. There are multiple references in the Bible to the pain of labor and the joy of giving birth. It teaches us that pain brings forth new life in us. Suffering will be forgotten when it ends in joy. He allows pain, but he uses it to make us new. 

9. There is nothing more beautiful than a mother's love for her newborn baby. It's the way she plays with his little fingers or the way she strokes his soft face. It's the way she holds him, like she is afraid that he will break. It hits her so hard and so fast that sometimes it brings tears to her eyes...and to mine, too. 

10. Work is not my life, but it is my ministry. As much as I like my job, I cannot let it consume me. At the same time, I recognize that each time I walk onto my unit, God is giving me the opportunity to share the gospel with people who are hungry to hear it. Sometimes, that chance is obvious, and I get to pray with a patient or share my faith with them out loud. Other times, it is much more subtle, and I show it by love and compassion. 

I will treasure in my heart every lesson learned in this past year - from how to start an IV to how to manage a postpartum hemorrhage. I will treasure every memory - from delivering my first baby without a doctor to teaching a first-time mom how to swaddle her baby. I will treasure every pleasure - from midnight macaroni to long naps on rainy mornings (two things I did not know the pleasure of until working night shift). Most of all, I will treasure the miracle of new life and the joy of being at the bedside with people during the most difficult and most joyous days of their lives. 

It's so great to be a nurse. As I say goodbyes to this job and hello to a new job as a missionary nurse in Burkina Faso, I know that 100 more lessons lay ahead. The learning has only just begun.