Tanashia Huff - A Sacred Moment

I asked Tanashia (TH) to be my nurse for the birth of our baby. It was really important to me to have a natural birth without intervention. I spent hours talking with TH about birth and I sensed she ‘got it’. She knew birth mattered; birth is not just a physical experience but also an emotional and spiritual journey into motherhood.. That birth is sacred and has the ability to affect a woman through her whole life.

I spent many hours at home laboring and Tanashia called in to check on me. I had been 7cm for a few hours when we decided to go to the hospital. Once we were there, I knew immediately that my body had responded to my fears about going to the hospital and my contractions were very spaced apart. I am a L&D nurse, so my mind immediately starting going down the path of all the interventions that I knew followed a “stalled labor”. I was trying so hard to put all of that out of my mind and just be a laboring mama. I got back in the tub and TH came in to check on me. I told her my fears. That being there had startled my body and I needed some time to get things going again. She replied to me calmly and assuredly, telling me what I was feeling was normal and made perfect sense and for me to just relax and labor. I will never forget the relief I felt. It was a pivotal moment in my labor. She understood and validated my fears and it made all the difference. During the hours that followed, TH continued to support me through my labor, holding my hand, encouraging me and believing in me, in my ability to birth our baby. I can still hear her voice telling me, the moment our daughter was born, to open my eyes and reach down to get my baby. She was tearful and excited and rejoiced with us as a family and with me, as a woman and now a mother. Tanashia truly understands that birth matters. She has a gift for being the perfect combination of a calming presence and a fierce advocate for a woman’s desires for her birth.

Posted 5/14/2012

Tanashia was always my rock throughout my pregnancy, birth, and postpartum period. I had two previous births many years ago with epidurals and wanted my third to be very different. Since I had birthed my first two children, I had become a midwife, and was now aware that I had more options than to have a mandatory IV, sit in a bed with internal monitors, and have no labor support, leaving me to turn to an epidural to deal with the fear and pain of childbirth. However, as much as I wanted a low intervention birth this time, I was nervous that I would be able to do this. My labors are not short and I consider myself somewhat of a wimp. Tanashia and I started talking during my pregnancy about natural childbirth. Everytime I doubted my ability, she would reassure me that I could do this. She recommended valuable books that helped me learn relaxation techniques to help deal with the contractions and prepare me for my journey. The last few days of my pregnancy, when I was in and out of prodromal labor and wanted to give up, she coached me through it with constant reminders that I was strong, my body knew what it was doing, and the baby would come when he was ready. In early labor she came over to my house and kept me relaxed and nourished before we went to the hospital and met my midwife. She stayed by my side the entire time, and every time I broke down and doubted myself she was there to reaffirm my belief that I could do this. She redirected me to try different things to work through my labor more effectively. During the postpartum period, Tanashia routinely checked in with me and made sure I was adjusting well. She gave me encouragement and tips for breastfeeding, cloth diapering, and care of my body during this phase. As much knowledge as I had as an experience midwife, I could not have had such a smooth, wonderful experience had it not been for Tanashia.

Posted 5/3/2012

Tanashia was present for both of my births. I knew Tanashia prior to my first pregnancy and I requested her as my Labor and Delivery nurse. She gladly came in on her day off to be my labor support person as well as my nurse. She was open to my desire to have a low intervention birth and my advocate when my OB wanted to intervene. I felt that Tanashia helped me make decisions that were right for me and my baby. My labor did not progress as planned and my son was delivered by c-section in the middle of the night. Tanashia was there with me through it all. I was very upset about having surgery but she was by my side through everything. She did not leave me and my baby until she knew we were settled in on the postpartum floor. She visited us everyday and came in to assist me with breastfeeding.
When I found out that I was pregnant with my second child, I knew I needed Tanashia to be there. I planned a repeat c-section and I was very anxious about it. She eased my mind when she told me she would be there for the birth. I had my second son before my planned c-section date and Tanashia came in for his birth as well. I had shared my birth requests with her prior to the birth and in the midst of a chaotic situation, she remembered my requests and I had the birth I wanted. She was my advocate when I could not be. She made sure my baby stayed with me in the OR as long as possible. I had requested skin to skin bonding as soon as possible after his birth and she made sure the high risk nursery and the anesthesiologist knew my requests. I know that my requests would not have been fulfilled without Tanashia advocating for me.
Tanashia is an excellent nurse that provides her clients with the holistic care they desire. She manages a plan of care that is suitable for both the mother and the medical team. She made each of my births a special experience and I am very grateful for her.
 

Posted 5/1/2012