Nurses can have a HUGE impact on a Mom's Birth experience

The more births I attend as a doula, the more I see the impact a nurse can have on a mother’s birth. 

First I would like to say most of the nurses are GREAT!  I love L & D nurses.  But sometimes a nurse just doesn’t mesh with a mom or her desires.  Sometimes a nurse doesn’t even know how to support a NCB mom. 

It is a great idea for moms to ask for a nurse that LIKES natural childbirth before she even gets assigned a nurse, that can help a lot. 

Also, bring treats for the nurses.  They are the unsung heros of the hospital! 

Choose your hospital well, some hospitals are less flexible and not accomadating for natural childbirth moms.  There is one hospital in my area that is just not great for moms who want NCB.  One that is OK and one that is Good and one that is Great.  Call up a local doula or Childbirth Educator and ask, where is the best hospital for NCB?  It makes sense that the hospitals with more NCB will have nurses who are more supportive of it.  Because they actually see it!   

If you are in your birthing time and have a nurse that just isn’t quite working for you, it is important for moms to know, you have the right to ask for a new nurse.  A nurse can NOT ask for a new patient, but they might be relieved if the mom asks for a new nurse.   Talk about this with your birth partner before hand, say, If I ask for a new nurse, you need to go out and ask to speak to the nurse manager and get a new nurse for me.