Working My L&D Job
I had landed my DREAM job. I was working as a labor and delivery registered nurse in the Texas Medical Center, the number one medical center in the world! It was extremely competitive to get that job, and I absolutely saw the favor of God as I walked in my calling as a nurse.
It was amazing to learn how to care for women in labor, and also care for the new babies who had made their arrival earthside. It was the most beautiful of experiences. I was so in awe that I was able to work in this job!
As with any job, there was a lot to learn, and there were days that it was so overwhelming, but I always felt the peace of God, and His presence with me, as I showed up day by day. After about six months to a year, I began to feel more comfortable with delivering babies and all that came along with that.
I worked at a job for a total of two and a half years, and I learned and saw so much. I especially noticed how special God had made my hands to be.
While working as a labor and delivery nurse, my hands held new babies fresh out the womb and helped them take their first breath. The same hands swaddled a baby that never got to take a breath on this Earth. My hands were squeezed so tight as a mother tried her best to bear another contraction.
My hands also gently caressed a mom as she shook with anxiety and nerves before meeting her child for the first time. My hands firmly shook the hands of a thankful dad for helping his wife birth their first child. My same hands clasped the grasp of a weeping dad as he held his stillborn child.
My hands cleaned a woman in her most vulnerable moment. My hands delivered a baby before the doctor was able to arrive. My hands were washed and sanitized more times than anyone could count. My hands created memory boxes for mothers who would have to learn to adapt to life without the baby she planned for. My hands fumbled through phone lists to call the doctor for emergency situations.
My hands administered medications during a hemorrhage to save a life. My hands helped me dress myself in full personal protective equipment as I worked through the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic. My hands held the phone on Facetime for the mother who had to deliver her baby alone as there were pandemic restrictions.
My hands wheeled stretchers down the hall as we whizzed to the operating room to try and save a life. My hands wiped my own tears as I grieved with my patient over a severe loss. My hands…God-given…for such a time as this.
It truly was the best job, but after two and half years, God was calling me to another form of nursing…stay tuned.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Stephanie Bright is the founder of Christian Girls POP, an online international
Women’s ministry. While attending college, Stephanie began leading Bible
studies from her dorm room, which led to the birth of Christian Girls POP (CGPOP).
Through CGPOP, Stephanie can reach women across the world of all ages
to proclaim the Word of God in a relevant way. As a Bible teacher, she uses
her life experiences to help others realize their potential by highlighting
scripture in her unique way. Stephanie aspires to bring CGPOP to college
campuses worldwide to guide young women into a meaningful relationship with Christ.
Stephanie also enjoys leading worship, spending time with her younger siblings, and doing puzzles in her free time.