Personal Struggles in Nursing School

In nursing school, we explore a variety of content. And there will be times where a nursing student will relate to it - on some level. I have seen students in my classes get emotional about certain topics, I have seen topics affect my friends, and this past week, the content affected me. The important thing about all of this is how you will use it once you become a nurse.

I am currently in my med-surg class. Right now, our topic is on OB. OB is definitely an interesting topic. And I didn't feel any effect from it the first day when we were discussing a typical, textbook birth. The following day, we went over augmentation and interventions in the labor process as well as cesarean section. And that is where I had a moment

You see, I have 2 kids. My son was born eight years ago. I went into labor and when I arrived at the hospital, I was dilated to a 4. However, the admitting people put me into an observation room until a birthing suite was ready. There were other women in there - one with her 3 kids. They were running around and my focus was thrown out the window. The pain got intense and I asked for an epidural. The problem with epidurals is that they can slow labor down and that happened to me. And from there out, my labor was augmented and I had multiple interventions. I feel those interventions helped lead to a c-section.

With my daughter, I had hoped to have a VBAC ( vaginal birth after cesarean). My OB/GYN was 100% on board with this. But for a multitude of reasons, I ended up having to have a repeat section. Yes, at the end of the day, I had 2 beautiful, healthy babies. But my plans for my births were not what I imagined and it makes me sad. Labor and delivery isn't just about healthy babies, it also about moms and their feelings.

So what am I going to take away from this? Should I ever become an L&D nurse, I know that I will advocate for my patients and their birth plans. I know that I will be able to be empathetic to a mother that cannot have her baby vaginally. I know that I will be able to a better nurse to my patients.