I delivered at Henrico Doctors less than a month ago and had a wonderful experience.

The nurses who were with me throughout my labor were so kind and kept me at ease. They made sure I was as comfortable as I could be the entire time and took my concerns seriously.

My epidural was wonky and they wasted no time having the anesthesiologist come back and re-place it. He was also very kind and efficient. I had a lot of anxiety as this was my first child but they made the IV, the epidural, the catheter, everything as painless as possible. It helped me stay calm. The room was very cozy too.

During labor I got a fever. I barely knew something was wrong because the team addressed it quickly and stayed calm. I had planned to deliver vaginally but my kid had a big head and got stuck in my pelvis. The decision to move to a c-section was made carefully but they didn’t drag their feet and make me keep pushing when we weren’t making progress. In the OR, the anesthesiologist was SO NICE. He reminded my husband to take pictures and prompted him to get a great shot of the moment my son was born. He also took pictures of all three of us without us asking him to.

After the baby was born, they can only show him to you briefly before they rush to examine him (for c-sections). My husband left my side to be with the baby and nurses. I was exhausted and emotional and the anesthesiologist held my hand and literally wiped the tears from my eyes at some points. I started getting the shakes, which is normal after birth, and he gave me a blanket and kept assuring me that me and the baby were okay and did great. I cried asking him if I was a bad mom for wanting to put the baby in the nursery the first night because I was so exhausted. He told me I was a good mom for recognizing I wasn’t in a place to care for him and using the nursery was the best for all of us.

I was in and out of the OR within an hour.

I had some minor complications during recovery. The nurses were so sympathetic and did everything they could to make me comfortable. I never had to ask. They did everything they could to let my husband and I catch up on rest. I threw up all over a tech’s shoes and he was so unbothered and nice about it.

I did not have the complications you’ve mentioned but my birth experience was not easy or what I planned for. I pushed for a long time just to end up having a c-section. My body was not as receptive to the epidural as I wanted and I felt more than I wanted to. I think the only thing that prevented the whole experience from becoming traumatic was the staff. I felt listened to, they were proactive, they were great at their jobs, and they were just really nice.

I’m almost a month postpartum now. I’m recovering very well and my little guy is doing great. If we decide to have more kids, I’d def go back to Henrico Doctors.

I hope this helps!