Michelle Paulsen
April 2019
Michelle
Paulsen
,
RN, BSN
Family Birth Center
Legacy Mount Hood Medical Center
Gresham
,
OR
United States
This is an excerpt from a nursing school application letter written by a patient who delivered in our FBC 8 years ago. The nurses who cared for her baby through NAS inspired her to become a nurse and to share this letter with us.
"There is a quote that says, "in giving birth to our babies, we may find that we give birth to the new possibilities within ourselves". This could not be more true for me. My entire life changed the day I had my baby girl. My inspiration to become a nurse came from the birth of my daughter and the support I received during and after from my nurses, Michelle and Kasey.
Most people find pregnancy and childbirth to be a time filled with love and laughter, but that was not the case for me. Without going into too much detail, I was not in a great place prior to having my daughter. At 19 yo, I had dropped out of high school, had a severe addiction problem and had no idea what I was going to do with the rest of my life. To be honest, if it wasn't for my daughter I'm not sure if I would be alive today.
When the time came to deliver my daughter, things were pretty hectic and rushed. I was just barely 8 months pregnant and I delivered my daughter just minutes after arriving at the Family Birth Center. She had to spend several weeks in the hospital and during that time I was introduced to my passion. Kasey and Michelle were 2 of my nurses during my stay. Their caring ways and lack of judgment during our time there made all the difference in the world. Again, they were saying 'everything is going to be okay and we're going to get through this together'. And that is exactly what we did. They helped me nurse my baby girl back to health, and we formed bonds that we still have today. Those 2 women made me see how I could positively impact someone's life with a career choice. And from that time on I was certain that nursing was my calling.
The unexplainable love that came from having my first child, and the love and genuine support from Kasey and Michelle are what inspired me to begin the journey of nursing school and what has continued to inspire me to work so hard to achieve it. Eight years ago I was an active addict, a shell of a person. Today, I am a proud mother of 2 beautiful children and 8 days away from interviewing for nursing school. I cannot wait to pass this hope and inspiration on to future patients who are needing love and guidance the same way I did 8 years ago."
"There is a quote that says, "in giving birth to our babies, we may find that we give birth to the new possibilities within ourselves". This could not be more true for me. My entire life changed the day I had my baby girl. My inspiration to become a nurse came from the birth of my daughter and the support I received during and after from my nurses, Michelle and Kasey.
Most people find pregnancy and childbirth to be a time filled with love and laughter, but that was not the case for me. Without going into too much detail, I was not in a great place prior to having my daughter. At 19 yo, I had dropped out of high school, had a severe addiction problem and had no idea what I was going to do with the rest of my life. To be honest, if it wasn't for my daughter I'm not sure if I would be alive today.
When the time came to deliver my daughter, things were pretty hectic and rushed. I was just barely 8 months pregnant and I delivered my daughter just minutes after arriving at the Family Birth Center. She had to spend several weeks in the hospital and during that time I was introduced to my passion. Kasey and Michelle were 2 of my nurses during my stay. Their caring ways and lack of judgment during our time there made all the difference in the world. Again, they were saying 'everything is going to be okay and we're going to get through this together'. And that is exactly what we did. They helped me nurse my baby girl back to health, and we formed bonds that we still have today. Those 2 women made me see how I could positively impact someone's life with a career choice. And from that time on I was certain that nursing was my calling.
The unexplainable love that came from having my first child, and the love and genuine support from Kasey and Michelle are what inspired me to begin the journey of nursing school and what has continued to inspire me to work so hard to achieve it. Eight years ago I was an active addict, a shell of a person. Today, I am a proud mother of 2 beautiful children and 8 days away from interviewing for nursing school. I cannot wait to pass this hope and inspiration on to future patients who are needing love and guidance the same way I did 8 years ago."