‘Suzanne wears a necklace that reads Mama-To-Be. The rest of her is blood and gore’: notes from the nursing frontline – The Guardian

My daughter is here. Curled up in a hedgehog ball, but softer than anything in the universe. She is born with a quiff of thick black hair and an expression that says shes been here before. A knowing, testing look. She is early, and small. I begin assessing my baby as if shes one of my intensive-care patients. I check her reflexes, pupil reaction, respiratory rate and capillary refill time. Mary, the maternity support worker, watches me and laughs. Nurses and doctors always the worst patients.
I…

Click here to view the original article.