The mother gives birth to a breathless child, but what followed in the delivery room will remain in her mind forever

The mother gives birth to a breathless child, but what followed in the delivery room will remain in her mind forever

Pregnancy losses are more common than we might think, however people rarely talk openly about such an event that marks their existence.

As is often the case, it is difficult for people to discuss the tragic experiences that have grieved them so much, even if this would help them get over the pain of losing their unborn baby more easily.

Maybe it’s because people are embarrassed? Maybe women who lose a pregnancy feel ashamed? But why should anyone feel ashamed of something over which they have no control?

Rachel Whalen is a woman who found out on her own skin what it means to lose your own child…

Unfortunately for Rachel, the signs of a miscarriage were not discovered in early pregnancy. Instead, she planned a future for her unborn baby and even went to the hospital believing that her baby was well and healthy. But this was not the case at all, and even before the birth, Rachel was informed that her daughter was no longer alive.

When something so tragic happens, most people do not know exactly how to react. How do you tell someone they lost their baby?

For Rachel, it wasn’t just the love and support of friends and family that helped her when she needed it most. The experienced and compassionate nurses she met at the hospital played a huge role, consoling her after she had to give birth to a child who was already dead.

Now Rachel has chosen to share the darkest hours of her life with everyone.

She wrote:
“For nurses,

Thanks for saving me. Your skills and knowledge saved me from death, but it was your compassion that guided me back to life. The humanity you have demonstrated is the one that brought me back to life; you made possible the thought that there is life after death.

For this, I owe you all my love and deepest gratitude.

Thanks to the nurses who always made sure my husband had enough pillows when he had to stay in my hospital room. And thanks to the nurses who let him slip sweets from the fridge. You acknowledged that this was an experience for him as well and that he needed your care.

Thanks to the nurse who came with me when they moved me from the Emergency Room to the Birth Room. I thank him for being my voice when I couldn’t speak, for being too busy fighting for my life. I’m not sure I would have loved to see my daughter if you hadn’t been there.

Thanks to the nurse who taught me how to put ice packs in my bra when I needed to stop breastfeeding after my daughter was born breathless. I also want to thank you for supporting me as I mourned the burden I could not get rid of. Your hug did nothing to lighten the weight of my breasts, but you brought a ray of light into my dark world.

Thanks to the emergency room nurse who came to clean me up after my daughter died. Thank you for taking the time to help me wash my face and brush my hair. I can still feel how you caught my hair in the tail, it was a gentle touch and not a jerk. It was a wonderful gesture.

Thanks to the nurse who leaned over my bed and asked me about Dorothy. Thank you for knowing how important it was for her to exist, even if she left us. I will never forget the way you bent down, as if I were your best friend, and you asked me, ‘Do you want to tell me about her?’

Thanks to the nurse who dressed my baby and took our picture. Thank you for making sure the fez didn’t cover her eyes and that her hands were positioned so gracefully. This image means everything to us.

Thanks to the nurses who took the time to read the chart before changing shifts. I want to thank you for teaching him his name before he entered the reserve where I was. It meant so much to hear her name that my husband and I decided together. It made us feel like a family.

Thanks to the nurse who slipped into my room on my first night without Dorothy to hold my hand. Thank you for whispering to me the story of the pregnancy you lost. Thank you for being the first person to get me out of the isolation I felt after I lost my baby. Your presence was the best medicine. I’m still not convinced if I didn’t dream of you, that’s how I managed to get over the first night of loneliness.

Finally, I want to thank the nurses who saw me during pregnancy with Dorothy’s younger sister. Even after Frances came into the world, you never forgot that someone else was before her. You knew that Frances’ birth didn’t make me a mother for the first time. She made me a mother twice.

With gratitude, the one you brought back ”

It is impossible to understand enough how a woman feels when she gives birth to a child without breath. Because this is the exact pain that some mothers have to go through. Even if they have been told that the unborn baby is no longer alive, it must still be born.

Our thoughts turn to Rachel, but also to the nurses who helped her with a lot of humanity and compassion when everything around her collapsed.

Send this article to your friends and family on Facebook to pay tribute to all nurses and midwives around the world. I do a fantastic job every day!