Before I share my experience, I would like to give God the ultimate praise and gratitude for sending Courtney to me! He knew I needed her. To give a quick reference point, this is my second child I gave birth to my first born back in December 2020. When I initially found out I was pregnant with her I decided as well as prepared for a natural non-medicated birth. I looked up what hospitals had the best grades for labor and delivery, who had a higher rate of C-section the whole nine. The second thing I did was search for a Doula for labor support. Preferably someone that looked like me , but unfortunately there aren’t very many black doulas serving the Baton Rouge area. I also took birthing courses. Didn’t have much of a birth plan only birth “expectations“. With that being said my labor from start to finish was six hours and I gave birth to her in the water exactly how I planned . It was beyond rewarding. Fast-forward to my second impending birth, you could imagine my expectations were exceptionally high considering I had such a wonderful experience the first time. Things went so smoothly that I decided birth support might not be necessary for the second. After all, I knew what to expect and had been told that labor progressed even faster the second time around. What I wasn’t expecting was to arrive to labor and delivery and there be no beds available. Nurse Co met my husband and I at the hospital and was there throughout the entire process not only for emotional support she was able to debrief me as well as translate some of the medical terminology that was relayed to me by hospital staff. She reassured me that I had options and was unbiased yet supportive of whatever decision I ultimately made. One thing I was sure of, I was well informed and that was because of her. Things don’t always go as planned and I excepted that from the very beginning. But it also didn’t stop me from making them. I just went in with the understanding that they may have to change. This was the case my second time around, but Courtney was there to offer alternatives that still aligned with what I wanted. Not everything is in our control but a lot of times you have a lot more options than what you actually know. I wanted minimum medical intervention. That’s a choice that I have. Now don’t get me wrong, medical interventions when necessary, are life-saving. I’m not against them by far. I just wanted the most natural approach to a very natural process. Courtney made sure that happened. There’s no doubt in my mind about it. She held my hand and encouraged me through the entire delivery. Her presence in that pivotal moment made ALL the difference. We’d been at the hospital for around 6hrs. I wasn’t able to get a room until the 7th hr. But even in triage Nurse Co provided as many comfort measures that the space would allow. From honey sticks, to birthing balls. She gave me worse case scenarios so even then, I’d be mentally prepared if the time came. Luckily it did not! We eventually got a room and just in time enough for her to fill up the tub although I wasn’t cleared to labor in the tub unless the baby could be monitored which would turn out to be a hard task considering the “mobile” monitors didn’t actually allow for much mobility. I swear it seemed there were so many obstacles to over come, as if birthing a child was not already a daunting task. Yet and still we got it done. Nurse Co had to track the babies heart rate (manually) with the monitors which allowed me to find the perfect birthing position. Everything else was down hill from there, in the best way possible I mean. And thank God for her close monitoring, she was able to alert the midwife just in time to retrieve my baby from the water. Wasn’t quite sure what “she bearing down” meant but I quickly found out when minutes later I was holding my daughter in my arms. The rest is a blur……. A euphoric, hazy, relieving, blur! Labor support in my opinion is just as essential as taking your prenatal vitamins or preparing your home for the new arrival. Hopefully in the years to come more expecting mothers will seek out resources for labor support, birthing options as will as prenatal and postpartum care. I choose Nurse Co because I wanted to make sure I was seen and heard at one of the most vulnerable times in my life. She did just that, a true Advocate. Who would’ve known she’d have to wear L&D nurse hat too! That’s what my labor support looked like. Everyone’s is different but we ALL reserve that right. Now you know why I choose Nurse Co!