Butterflies & Heartbreak

October is National Perinatal Loss Month.  It is this month every year that my thoughts return to some of the most memorable moments of my entire career.  Although each delivery is beautiful, special and unique, it is often the ones that are the most heartbreaking that leave a forever mark on my heart.   

A Labor and Delivery Nurse’s perspective?  When a mother steps onto our unit worried about decreased fetal movement, every member of our team holds their breath, waiting to hear and see the fetal heart beat appear on the monitor.  For most mothers it does, but for those who have experienced the devastating silence of a heart no longer beating, I hope you know that in that moment a stillness descends on the entire unit as well.  A reverent moment is shared without any of us having to say a word, as each of us pause what we are doing in somber understanding of grief and loss.  For those who are already aware of loss, we anticipate your arrival with heavy hearts. Quiet respect is shared for you as well as for those who are chosen to provide that tender care for your family during your stay.

With a little reminding, I can recall almost every delivery I have ever had the privilege of attending.  However, it is those that share their most raw and difficult journey through delivery that I am able to recall specific details and moments with very little effort. 



Share of Idaho is a support group for those who have lost a baby. The willow tree planted near the chapel entrance of the hospital gently reminds me, each time I pass, that the care I am prepared to provide should the need arise, is priceless and the only time some will get to share with their precious and anticipated little one.

Jennifer Jonely, our Perinatal Palliative Care and Loss Coordinator, has an absolute passion and love for families experiencing loss.  She is our contact for St Luke's Butterfly's Embrace service, which is designed to assist families through their individual journey by providing compassionate support from diagnosis through decision-making process, into bereavement and beyond.  Our care and memory does not begin or end at the doors to our unit.  

Jennifer shares that the most important feature of care for families is to instill hope where previously there seemed to be none.  Hope is shifted from all the dreams a new parent experiences, to hope that their baby will live on in their hearts and in the hearts of others for a lifetime.  Hope that even though their baby's life was brief, it was meaningful and can still be celebrated.  

On October 15th, consider joining the International Wave of Candlelight to cross the world in memory of our beloved children gone too soon.  Everyone is encouraged to light a candle from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. in their own time zone. I will be lighting a candle as I remember and celebrate my own loss, as well as the life of those I met just briefly but who made such a profound impact on me.

I also encourage you to check out the Facebook group supporting our local community: St Luke's SHAREing TEARS Perinatal Loss Support Group

https://www.facebook.com/groups/552565631510255/

or contact Jennifer Jonely, St Luke's Perinatal Palliative Care and Loss Coordinator directly @ 381-1807

Welcome to St Luke's Labor and Delivery Unit!

Life’s Greatest Moments Happen in our Care…..

                Almost every year a committee on the Labor and Delivery unit at St Luke’s creates a sweatshirt.  This year the caption has inspired me to take a closer look at these “greatest moments” and those who provide this care.

    A short background:  My name is Wendy, I am a Registered Professional Nurse (RN) in the state of Idaho, and have earned National Certification in In-Patient OB as well as Electronic Fetal Monitoring.    I, by nature, am a caregiver, an advocate for those in need, and a little bit of an adrenaline junky rolled into one.  As a Labor and Delivery Nurse I have found I am able to combine all of these qualities into one profession that I LOVE!

                I have worked in Labor and Delivery since I graduated from nursing school in 2001 (which means that there are babies I helped to deliver who will be entering high school now).  I have worked both dayshift and nightshift and I love the people I work with.  Each time I drive to work, I often take a moment to say a prayer for peace, to be able to touch someone’s life, and to be able to provide the support and strength needed throughout my shift.   I never know what may occur from the time I arrive to the time I head home.  Labor is not called labor because it is easy, and being a Labor and Delivery nurse is a lot of work – rewarding and exhausting.

           Since the beginning of time birth has been a beautiful and natural part of life, and every story, ever experience is unique, distinctive, and miraculous.  Women never forget and often want to share their birth stories because each story is such an intimate part of her life.  In these moments we are welcomed into one of the most private and personal experiences a woman can have.  Some of these experiences are simple and sweet, some are long and exhausting, while others are filled with pain or even heartache.  Whether you choose unmedicated or anesthesia assisted birth, whether your delivery is vaginal or cesarean, we believe that every story is important.

         Without sharing these stories and experiences it is not possible to explain the incredible highs and the saddest lows that a Labor and Delivery Nurse may experience.  The stories may sound familiar to some, however in order to ensure that patient privacy and confidentiality are maintained at the highest and strictest level, I assure you that although everything shared will be based on factual events; names, dates, and some details may be modified or omitted.

               There are women who have dreamed of motherhood since they were just little girls.  Women arrive on our unit in various ages and stages of life, having been educated by friends and family, organized birthing classes, internet searches, the occasional television episode of some birth story reality show, but most commonly monthly and then weekly visits to the provider they have chosen to provide care during labor.  It is the role of the Labor and Delivery Nurse to assemble these plans, orchestrate the team of experts, and ensure that this experience is uniquely yours, in the smoothest and safest way possible.  

                It is a big job!

      I invite you to drop by this blog often, get to know who we are, learn tips that might help you as you prepare for the day you may spend on our unit; whether you are having your first baby (or your fifth), you may be anticipating a grandchild, or you may be excitedly anticipating the experience as an intended parent.  

I would like to share our perspective and knowledge of miracles, celebrations, and heartfelt sadness. Here I would like to open a window for you into our world, from the perspective of a Labor and Delivery Nurse at St. Luke’s.  I warmly welcome you to our unit…..