A Love Letter to Nurses
Thank you.
We see you.
We see your sore back, your tired feet, your forth cup of coffee. We see your missed lunch breaks and the fact that you haven’t been to the bathroom in hours. We see the expression on your face when things are hard for your patient, or when they are in pain. We see your heart.
Thank you.
We hear you.
We hear your soft words. We hear your reassurances. We hear your compassion. We hear your excitement! We hear you being a cheerleading, or consoling, by turn. We hear your dedication to your job and to your patients. We hear your warmth.
Thank you.
We feel you.
We feel the gentleness of your touch as we help you change the linens. We feel the strength you have when you hold a patient’s hand. We feel the kindness that emanates from you when you bring a baby to the breast. We feel your determination when you help a baby take its first breath. We feel your strength and your passion.
Thank you.
Thank you for everything that you do. Thank you for every missed meal, overtime shift, every hug, and every kind word. Thank you for visiting patients who are still in the hospital, even if they aren’t your patient anymore. Thank you for understanding the fears, and responding with compassion. Thank you for your tired feet, your hands that are chapped from anti-bacterial soap, and your rumbling stomach. Thank you for making a difference. Thank you for caring for families.
We know that being a nurse is sometimes a thankless job. Birth is overwhelming and can be scary. Families are anxious and can sometimes be upset or frustrated. Sometimes you have to shoulder the blame.
We know how much you care. You wouldn’t be here if you didn’t! Be a nurse isn’t for the faint of heart. You have a heart of gold and a stomach of steel.
This week is National Nurses Week. There are plenty of blogs and tweets and Instagram posts about #YesThisIsNursing, but we needed to add our voices to the chorus; the work you do is incredible and we are all so very lucky that you all do what you do. Our doulas have attended births in nearly every hospital in this city. We have seen day shift and night shift, caesareans and vaginal births, healthy babies and babies that need some time in the NICU. We have seen the tenderness of your touch, the enthusiasm in your voice when you encourage your patients, and the way you advocate for the people, families, and babies in your care.
We have seen your passion.
We have seen your dedication.
We have seen your commitment and heart.
Thank you, from all of us at Toronto Family Doulas
Image by Raphael Getter, used under Creative Commons Licensing.