April 2023
Nicole
Caston
,
BSN, RN
Labor and Delivery
Lancaster General Health, Penn Medicine
Lancaster
,
PA
United States
Nicole never pushed us to do anything we did not want to do. Instead, her presence and encouraging words empowered B to try to stick to her plan for as long as possible.
Nicole was the L&D nurse taking care of my wife B upon our initial visit to the hospital for what we thought would be a quick in-and-out check-up visit. Due to some concerns, we had to stay overnight which then led to labor induction, which was completely opposite to what we had initially planned for. B was very upset because she wanted to experience a birth that was as natural as possible, without pain meds or an epidural. As soon as we arrived to the L&D unit, Nicole immediately went over our birth plan together with us to honor our wishes. Once induction began and the labor pains became worse and worse, Nicole never pushed us to do anything we did not want to do. Instead, her presence and encouraging words empowered B to try to stick to her plan for as long as possible. As a medical professional, it would be easy to question why certain people choose to go against medical advice and make decisions that seem illogical or barbaric. As an oncology nurse myself, I admit sometimes it could also be easy to judge others for their odd choices like declining treatment for curable conditions. Our experience with Nicole really encourages me as a healthcare professional to reevaluate my own values and reflective processes to incorporate into my own practice. Even though I was beside B the entire time, Nicole's calm and positive presence helped carry us through the long night. Despite having to eventually need an epidural thus flipping our plans upside down, Nicole was able to help us feel positive about our decision and our progress thus far. We were shocked to find out Nicole has only 6 months of nursing experience in L&D. It would appear as if this was her life passion and that she is well seasoned beyond her years. Nicole exudes confidence, and compassion and is equipped to empower any patient she encounters. She made what could have been a very bad experience turn into something so wonderful that we can look back on it with certain joy and are forever thankful she was the perfect nurse for us during our first childbirth experience.