Working in the medical field, people always assume I know what to expect. However, prior to speaking with Brittany I had no idea about the labor process itself, what to expect once I got to the hospital, how my partner could help throughout the process and what information I needed to have decided prior to entering the hospital. I was very anxious and fearful, especially having to deliver at a hospital that I was not too familiar with. 

After speaking to Brittany, my anxiety was gone - she helped me understand what I was up against when it came to laboring, entering the hospital and postpartum. I was no longer fearful to go into labor after speaking to her because I felt very prepared and so did my partner. 

The childbirth class I took was online and... I feel as though Brittany covered all the important items a family could possibly need to feel more comfortable and prepared to have their baby

Had it not been for her I would not have known that I needed to select a pediatrician prior to entering the hospital that said, I appreciated that knowledge in your teaching. Also, when it comes to breastfeeding vs pumping vs formula, they ask during admission but no one really follows up on it postpartum. I had to advocate for myself for a pump because it took the LC 2 days to come into my room and I was basically leaving so I feel as though educating on that is super helpful. 

I like to have the knowledge of what to expect and I feel like no one tells you what you’re going to encounter when you go to the hospital to deliver your baby - at least not the specifics. It’s one of the most major things that my body will go through and I was so anxious thinking about going into it with little knowledge of what would happen in the hospital.

I didn’t know about the labor process and possible interventions that could be offered to me in the hospital.

I didn’t know that I could ask detailed questions to my providers and have a choice (were safe for mom and baby) rather than just moving forward with the suggestion of the practitioner. I also didn’t know about the support role for my husband during labor and delivery.

I was so grateful for a warm and friendly conversation about all the details of different topics. The information provided was presented in a way we could understand and also used some medical terms, which I appreciated since I also work in healthcare.

I think the program is really comprehensive and informative. I don’t think I would’ve learned any of this information through the hospital system.

I think the biggest thing for me was the advocacy component. Many times the hospital will suggest interventions that are time and cost effective but not necessarily ‘right’ for the individual. And knowing that I don’t just have to follow blindly was very eye opening and a huge sense of relief.

I feel like so many of my concerns about the unknown were relieved and I am now able to be excited for this experience.

Although I am grateful for my experience and being able to have a vaginal delivery, pushing under an hour I do wish I had more guidance. I wanted to be able to have a more natural experience, allowing my body to what it needed, rather than being pushed to be induced so fast.

I have to add to this because I actively would like to say I prepared myself. I didn’t have much guidance from the busy OBGYN’s - You’re in and out of appointments.

As for post partum - it’s not talked about enough.

I was lucky to have Brittany by my side throughout the entire experience. I felt so taken care of and she helped me so much. I feel like she definitely decreased my anxiety, but not everyone has a friend who is a postpartum nurse! Pre hospital- I feel like I prepared myself a lot and was pretty positive so I felt like whatever happened happened. I tried my best not to think negatively.

I knew I always had my close friend Brittany to ask questions if I needed. Knowing her eased my mind.

Story time. I am a patient who was induced at 35 weeks for Preeclampsia. My induction lasted 41 hours with my first miracle baby. I was terrified, and scared, after several years of infertility treatments. I had no one to guide me through this very isolating experience.

My induction was ended abruptly when my baby was deemed “undeliverable.” Hearing those words from a doctor, was probably one of the scariest things I’ve ever heard. I ended up delivering via emergency C-section, and my preterm baby was born in respiratory distress.

I was angry at myself, and my body, for not being able to do what it was designed to do… In more ways than one. My postpartum experience wasn’t easy… Especially when you leave the hospital empty-handed.

Spending weeks in the NICU, and ultimately not being able to take care of my baby on my own, yet, really robs you of the initial bonding. Having someone by my side through such a tumultuous time, would have made everything so much easier.

Fast forward 2 babies later… it was a totally different situation. I made it to my scheduled C-section date, and I had a beautiful baby boy. Although he was admitted to the NICU, I was walking away from my pregnancy without any preeclampsia! WRONG. Less than 24 hours after my sons release from the NICU, I was rushed to the emergency room with dangerously high blood pressure and vision changes.

Alone, as my husband was home, caring for our new baby and our other two children, I had to be admitted once again. I sat in the emergency room with a breast pump, pumping milk for my baby that I didn’t even know when I would see again. I was brought to L&D and initially put in a room with a baby bassinet. It stung me to the core. It was just a reminder of the fact that I couldn’t be with any of my children let alone the one I just delivered.

The first several days I spent laying in bed, and crying. I was told that I had to change my medication, otherwise, my blood pressure would not decrease. I knew I had to do it but the medication that they put me on required me to stop pumping for my newborn. Being postpartum, and so emotional, I was beside myself.

Enter Brittany, my earth angel. She was literally the sunshine that I needed in the ugliest time of my life. I hadn’t eaten in days, I had no will to shower, or even open the blinds… I was in such a dark place that I feel like this experience was almost creating a postpartum depression situation for me. Something I had never felt with any other pregnancy.

She was so kind to me, and so comforting, that I literally owe everything to her. She was patient and so understanding… She listened to me complain, sat there while I cried, tried her very best to help me in anyway she could.

She had known that I had not eaten in quite some time, and even offered to get food for me from outside the hospital. She ALWAYS went the extra mile.

My husband interacted with her over the phone several times and he even says, to this day… That he knew that I was OK because she was taking care of me.

Having her by my side during this horrendous time in my life, made it so much better… I still suffer from some PTSD due to that experience, and it is a part of my life that I will never forget. But the one thing that sheds such light on my situation, was that I had Brittany there to make me feel safe, calm, hopeful. I wish that I had her for all of my pregnancies! And if I wasn’t terrified to experience what I have already gone through, I would have another baby, with Brittany by my side. I would trust her with my life, I would trust her with my children’s lives… And that speaks volumes.

When you look at a person and you can immediately tell that what they do is what they were put on this earth to do… That’s Brittany. I feel incredibly blessed to still be in contact with her.

I will never forget her for the rest of my life.

Brittany is the definition of a nurse advocate.

She fought for me to stay one more night to make sure that I was not separated from Connor. He was able to come out of the NICU, but was not cleared to go home as the bilirubin levels continued to rise. I was stable at this point to be discharged home, but I was nursing and did not want to leave him at the hospital.

Brittany answered all of the questions that my husband had and reviewed signs and symptoms our son could have after we were discharged home.

She truly relaxed us and made an awful situation a little easier.

Brittany can help relieve anxiety and stress by explaining real life situations, before being admitted.

Having information about exactly what to expect when giving birth, both vaginally or C-Section would be a great tool for moms. Having one of each, I was not really prepared for either.

Reviewing pre-birth about the pain, how to clean the areas, what to look for, and what to expect would help. I knew that you could bleed post-delivery, but I did not know for how long or how much.

Being in the medical field, I knew when there was a problem but for someone who is not in this area, they may not know how much blood is too much or what the symptoms of an infection look like.

Brittany can also let parents know how to help at home for the first few days, to shower and organize everything.

Getting up the stairs was a little bit of a challenge both post-partum experiences. Showering felt wonderful, but I was anemic and sore and needed help. Making sure that families have help in place would be a great benefit for families when they go home.

Brittany has been present for both of my labors and deliveries! With my first son I had spontaneous labor. I was nervous because I didn’t know what to expect from labor. I didn’t do much research and basically just showed up at the hospital to have a baby.

Brittany made sure my experience was comfortable, that I had good nurses and that I knew what was considered normal. I remember getting “labor shakes” and being very nervous about that because no one had mentioned it to me.

Brittany made me feel calm and helped me understand why my body was doing what it was doing!  

I had my second son during Covid and Brittany was there every step of the way when my husband could not be. That labor was also spontaneous and very quick.

Brittany was extremely helpful and hands on and again went above and beyond to help me feel comfortable and manage contractions.

I was really happy with my experience with my doctors but I do think moms should feel special. The doctors appointments are so quick because they have to be and they also see patients everyday so it’s not a big deal to them. But all my first time mom friends said they were a little sad because it was just in and out and they are like hellooooo I’m pregnant!

I can not recommend Brittany enough. She is a gift to any mama she encounters! 

I was a scheduled c section due to Frank Breech presentation. I was lucky in that I had a scheduled procedure and everything went as planned before and after.

Still, I had to do quite a bit of research on my own to ensure I was prepared and aware of what that delivery and hospital stay would look like. I was a bit nervous that I would go earlier than planned and initially felt lost about where to even start to do research.

After meeting Brittany we felt a huge sense of comfort and relief.

The feelings of being new parents, in a place that is not our home with so much to take in and do all at once is overwhelming.

Having Brittany be calm, confident, pleasant, and extremely knowledgeable instantly made us feel at ease and even more confident ourselves.

I could’ve benefited from a personal advocate explaining what actually goes on in the hospital during my stay:

Providing a summary of what to expect in more details (types of doctors and frequency of checking ins, assessments, a typical schedule, etc.)

It would also be helpful to have that personal advocate provide a checklist prior to the expected stay for what to bring that is tailored more to the person’s needs or the hospital. It is easy to find a hospital bag checklist online but it is not personalized and often includes things not needed or is missing things that could be helpful for certain individuals.

The hospital setting is lacking more personalized post partum care.

Having Brittany advocate for a mom and her specific needs is extremely helpful.

As a healthcare professional myself and having worked in a large hospital system, I had a pretty solid understanding of hospital policies/procedures/general hospital expectations that the average person may be lacking. I understood the common staffing issues that most hospital units were facing post-pandemic and knew that this could potentially impact my stay. I felt like my expectations were realistic. Despite this, there were so many elements that I was unsure of… after all, becoming a mom was incredibly foreign to me.

There were specific elements of labor and delivery that I couldn’t research online and this is where Brittany really shined.

I had two very different pregnancies and deliveries. Reflecting on both experiences, I feel incredibly lucky to have had multiple relevant discussions with Brittany Pruneau.

Her knowledge and compassion were limitless when it came to preparing me to bring a new life into the world (twice) and I can confidently say that it made a significant positive difference in both of my birth experiences. Bringing a life into the world is such an honor and Brittany was vital in allowing me to embrace it, instead of stressing about the many unknowns that are intertwined in the process.

Prior to my first pregnancy, I found it so helpful to learn about the following from Brittany:

Typical length of stay, the expected step down from labor/delivery to postpartum, the role of the nursing staff on those units/how they can help you, understanding the basics re: pain relief options during labor offered and the pros/cons of each, newborn care/assessments completed while in the hospital and my role in them, & do’s and don’ts when packing a hospital bag.

Immediately following the delivery of my first child, I experienced a uterine inversion which was incredibly traumatic.

I was lucky to have Brittany as my postpartum nurse and she provided more knowledge, education and reassurance following this traumatic delivery.

I experienced feelings that I didn’t expect to following the birth of my son. I expected to be filled with joy and overwhelming love but I was scared of my own body.

She truly has skills that cannot be taught to just anyone.

Birthing a child is often viewed as an incredible, magic, & an indescribable experience. And it is.

But birth trauma is very real.

Brittany would be the ideal person to provide education and resources to soon to be moms on birth trauma and how the hospital can support mothers following their less-than-ideal deliveries.

My second pregnancy was a bit more complicated than the first due to a rare complication diagnosed at 20 weeks (vasa previa).

I found myself seeking out Brittany’s expansive knowledge once again. She was one of the first people I thought of once I received my diagnosis, as my mind was flooded with millions of questions and countless emotions. After all, I would be hospitalized during Thanksgiving and away from my family, including my 14 month old toddler who was never away from me for more than a few hours.

Brittany’s knowledge, compassion and expertise helped me to feel equipped for what was to come. She armed me with all of the relevant information I would need, from visitation options for my toddler, to managing meals in the hospital and ensuring my mental health was also a priority during an extended hospital stay. Even the things I didn’t initially think of, Brittany did. I was still nervous, as expected, but felt incredibly confident in my ability to manage this difficult situation.

I was still nervous to give birth to this baby considering the rollercoaster ride of the pregnancy.

Again, Brittany was there with just the right knowledge and reassurance that I needed to embrace the birth of my next child.

She inspired me to advocate for myself and my needs considering my realistic fears.

She provided education regarding the various choices I can make during the labor and delivery process. She provided valuable information of what could happen if any emergent care was warranted (for me or baby).

She reassured and educated my husband, who watched helplessly during my  first post-delivery trauma and was understandably fearful for this delivery as well.

 I am so thankful that JSUMC will forever be a part of my positive memories in birthing my children

I owe a majority of that to Brittany and all that she provided leading up to and immediately following my deliveries.

I wish that all pregnant women and their partners could experience all that Brittany provides because it is so deserved and sorely needed.