"I begged the nurse for help, letting her know that my body was pushing and I couldn’t stop it. I was twenty-eight hours into labor and unmedicated. She told me I couldn’t possibly be ready [to push] because I was a first time mom. I repeatedly asked her to check me or get the midwife. Instead, she paced around my bed insisting I wasn’t ready and refused to check me or get help. When my mom tried to check me, the nurse physically closed my legs and said “she not ready. I been nurse longer than she been alive, I know when they ready. She not ready.” I fought my body’s urge to deliver my child for a solid 50 minutes. I was later diagnosed with postpartum PTSD and endured a painful, 11 month physical recovery because of the choices made by my abusive and dismissive nurse."

-Leslie, Los Angeles CA