A tribute to the nurses, midwives and doulas who help women in their most vulnerable state after giving birth is going viral on social media.
The photograph taken by MommaKT Shoots along with words by blogger Baby Rabies has been shared almost 70,000 times.
“I’ll never forget the faces of the nurses who followed me into the bathroom after delivering each baby. That moment when I was so vulnerable, so tired, scared, shaky. My swollen belly deflating, and my modesty long gone,” she wrote on the Facebook post which has been liked more than 160,000 times.
“They treated me with such kindness and dignity. For me, these have been moments of empowerment and confirmation that I have a real village to help me, even if just for that little bit of time in a bathroom, on a toilet, while a kind nurse shows me how to put an ice pad on my mesh undies.
“This photo by my friend MommaKT Shoots just takes me right back. Like, I can smell the Dermaplast. Let’s hear it for the nurses and the doulas and anyone else who shows us how to make ice pad underwear (or helps with that first shower post c-section!)”
The post had other women sharing their own experiences and appreciation for their nurses.
Listen: What it’s like taking your baby home from the hospital for the first time. Post continues after audio.
“My delivery nurse grabbed my cellphone without me asking and snapped pictures of my boyfriend and I when they first put the baby on my chest. It was honestly one of the sweetest things anyone could’ve done for me that day. I’ll always be thankful for that,” commented Isabel.