22

Dear Scarlett,

I read somewhere that this is the week we can start hearing you through a stethoscope. I tried getting Amelia to hear you before heading to work one day... unfortunately, she was unimpressed! Ha! It's quite a bit harder to find you because both you and the stethoscope are so small-- good thing I have a few dopplers to track down from work to find you a little easier!

I'm truly starting to love my job. I'm so glad you've been with me every step of the way. One of the hardest parts is helping moms with breastfeeding. All the nurses on the unit are required to follow a lactation consultant for a day and take an 8 hour breastfeeding class, but dang it, breastfeeding is hard! There are so many different breasts and so many different babies and baby personalities and so many different mom personalities! And some days, I just want to throw in the towel because my back hurts so much from bending over for such long periods of time! This week, I successfully helped a mama get her stubborn baby to latch on AND suck (I know it sounds like it should be an innate reflex, but it's not! It's totally a learning process for baby and mom!) Gosh, it was so hard, but so worth it to see baby sucking for 15 straight minutes at the right place and having the mama thank me repeatedly for supporting her. I truly believe breast is best, and I'm glad I get to share some knowledge and help mamas and babies out with such a difficult process! Another mom told me at the end of one of my shifts that all the nurses here were so great, but I was her favorite. It hit me and got me a little teary because it reminded me of why I wanted to be a nurse-- to truly love and make a difference for someone who is at a vulnerable stage in their lives. I worried I might have lost some of that this past year, working at a rehabilitation and long term care. There's too many deaths and too many angry patients and families and not a whole lot of show for how hard you try to please. I'm so grateful I get the opportunity to help so many women during such a special time in their lives and get paid for it along the way too! It's not all sunshine and roses (like anywhere you work), but I feel so blessed for this job!

Scarlett babe, 22 is my lucky number! I'm excited there's only 18ish weeks before you're here. I can't believe how much you're moving these days-- I have a feel you're going to take after your big sister Amelia!

Love you,
Mom