Tara Stern a.k.a. Tara Matthews a.k.a. T: Labor and Delivery Nurse / Sister from Another Mother / #1 Mom / Roller Skate Queen

Sagewolf Interviews

The scene:
We are in the mini-van, returning to school for the second time this morning to deliver a laptop that was left at home by my oldest nephew. I meant to join them on their first trip to drop my younger nephew off for a week of camp in the redwoods (if I’m being honest, I wanted to hide in his suitcase so I could go too). Join us as we sister-talk about a nurse’s perspective and personal experience of covid, the extreme importance of breastfeeding and baby/parent bonding, and - holy shit - how is my sister turning 50?!?
Highlights:
+ “Ripping the bra off” - today is the first day that school kids can opt out of a mask
+ Nurse for 17 years - adults, obstetrics, graveyard shift, 12 hour shifts
+ Q: What happens when you tell people to stay home? A: Babies
+ Birthing babies for mom’s with covid while wearing full protective gear
+ Her own rapid test was negative, TWICE (and she actually had covid)
+ If you retest negative, you can come back to work within 5 days - as a hospital employee…
+ Breast-feeding was normalized and natural in her upbringing
+ Huge supporter of La Leche League and lactation support for new mamas and babies
+ Decided against an MPH so she could be more hands-on with actual human care
+ She knew at 6 years-old that she wanted to be a labor and delivery nurse
+ Breastfeeding babies sets the pace for how a human will eat, for their entire lifetime
+ New mothers need A LOT of support after birth
+ Why are we separating babies from their parents? (It’s the worst thing you can do for newborn health)
+ Going against the grain of archaic hospital thinking
+ Humans have made the birth process over-complicated and mechanized
+ Elective inductions - chosen by mothers who are just tired of being pregnant (mostly in affluent communities)
+ The C-section rate at her hospital is currently 18%. The national average is 40-60%!
+ Risks: infection, antibiotics in mom, antibiotic exposure to baby (causing lifelong effects on immune health)
+ A blessing of covid: forced waits for patient-elected inductions led to healthy natural births
+ Women’s bodies are literally made for birthing babies, and you’re not broken if it doesn’t go smoothly
+ Trust your birthing team - they’ve helped a lot of mamas and babies
+ Read the room to observe the needs of patients instead of inserting yourself robotically
+ Every area of your life affects every other area of your life - be present where you are
+ If you do things repetitively, they become your cloth
+ Your work ethic is the level at which you choose to function
+ When you say “it’s not my job,” you’re harming your own ecosystem. Pay it forward.
+ Altruism shouldn’t feel like work, it should be your doctrine - it’s just what you do
+ Senior nursing students: take advantage of the preceptorship you’re gifted
+ Obstetrics nurses need training in all human health areas
+ Life advice: enjoy what you get and you do have a choice about your attitude towards it
+ The shit end of the stick is being working moms and just wanting to be with our kids
+ All kids find a reason to blame their parents for not being perfect (and they get over it)
+ Parents: make time for yourselves apart from your kids - they’ll appreciate a happy, patient parent
A taste:
“What do you think’s going to happen? You stick a bunch of people at home and they can order a bunch of things to their home online, like virtually anything they wanted, except for toilet paper. […] You look at each other, ‘What do you want to do?’, ‘I don’t know, what do you want to do?’ So here you are 9 months later. It’s been kind-of a baby boom.”
Favorite sayin

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Love, Sagewolf xoxo