I came to Labor and Delivery being overdue 11 days and getting induced which is not what I was hoping for. I had the delight of meeting a wonderful nurse named Lynette who made me feel so cared for, and her encouragement and positive attitude is something I will never forget.

The baby was in the wrong position, so Lynette and I did endless positional exercises to try and turn the baby. I reached a point where I was losing hope that I’d make it to 10 cm in time and Lynette sensed I needed a release, so she sweetly gave me the permission to cry and let it out. That was exactly what I needed in the moment was a good cry and release from the stress. After that, the somber mood changed in the room and I felt encouraged to keep going.

The induction took me two days and I reached the 11th hour where I only had about two hours to push before I had to make a decision, since I’d been on Pitocin for the maximum amount, plus my membranes had ruptured over 24 hours before. Lynette then gave me all her tips and tricks to push that baby out as effectively as I could. I pushed for two and a half hours but the baby’s head would not descend out of the pelvis. It was determined my pelvis was likely too small and so the decision had to be made to have an unplanned C-Section.

After recovery, nursing seemed to come naturally and easily, but the next day, it went downhill as my colostrum was drying up and the baby was frustrated and stopped latching properly. I kept trying every two hours for days with many nurses and lactation consultants giving me all their tips and tricks, which I so appreciated, but nothing seemed to work. The baby started losing weight and I was running out of my frozen colostrum, so I was having a meltdown worrying I would have to feed him with formula and bottles, and that’s what we ended up doing.

Then Lynette came back in for a shift and heard my story and said, “Let’s not lose hope yet, I have another option that would be perfect for you.” At that time, I had been crying off and on all night, and was in a dark place emotionally feeling like a failure. I was beginning to lose all hope. Then Lynette offered an ingenious solution of a supplemental feeding system, which uses a little tiny hose that you feed into a nipple shield to have the baby feed the formula through your breast. So, I got the nipple stimulation for bringing in milk and the baby thinks he’s feeding from my breast. It was successful and Lynette took the time with my partner and I that day to help us with subsequent feedings until we were proficient with the system on our own. She turned our frowns upside down! She also taught us the best swaddle style and it’s the way we’ve swaddle ever since.

I’m just so impressed with Lynette’s professionalism and lovely, caring, nurturing, and encouraging bedside manner. There’s no substitute for years of experience, and Lynette has obtained invaluable tips over the years for us first time moms. She’s taught me so much to help with our new parenting journey. Lynette saved me from hopelessness and depression, and made me feel so cared for and taken care of. She’s the nurse cheerleader every mom needs! I had a wonderful experience with the whole team of nurses and doctors honestly, but Lynette just went so above and beyond for me and helped me solve some hard problems.

Thank you, Lynette!