When There Are Two Patients in One Body

by Stephanie Flood

In When There Are Two Patients in One Body, an experienced Labor and Delivery nurse shares a collection of birth stories, some joyful and others harrowing, that reveal profound life lessons from one of the most intense human experiences. While babies arrive either by vaginal delivery or caesarean section, each birth unfolds uniquely, whether as a momentous and thrilling event or an unexpected and life altering ordeal.

This book follows the author’s career, presenting a chronological journey through a diverse array of births, from routine and uneventful to tragic, each story interwoven with her personal reflections. Readers are drawn into the delivery room to witness the intimate details and drama of the birthing process, revealing the complexities of patients’ lives and circumstances.

As these stories unfold, readers gain insight into how factors such as healthcare access, race, culture, socioeconomic status, and education profoundly shape each birth experience. Beyond the joys and challenges, the author reveals that being a Labor and Delivery nurse is far more than just ‘a great job where you get to cuddle babies.’ It is a vocation that demands resilience, empathy, and an unflinching dedication to supporting patients through life’s pivotal moments.

Endorsement:

“Twenty-six years ago I was a brand-new intern on labor and delivery. The nurses rightfully didn’t trust us newbies.

Over the next four years, I became an OB/GYN under the direction of the attending doctors and hands-on nurses. In our first two years as fledgling doctors, we quickly learned that the nurses knew more than we did, and could make or break our experience. As we became part of the team, we all supported one another through the best days and the worst, for our patients and for us. I still hear some of their voices and advice.

Steph’s is one of them. Her stories are written just as they would sound over a beer or cup of coffee.”

– Jeanette Thomas, MD. Author of the blog Healing Is Hard. (www. healingishard. net)

174 pages, Hardcover

Published May 23, 2025

About the author

Stephanie Flood, RN, BSN, is an experienced Labor & Delivery nurse who spent over 30 years at one of the Midwest’s largest birthing centers. A graduate of Calvin University, she worked as both a bedside and charge nurse, sharing in some of the most intimate, emotional, and life-changing moments families experience. Her debut book, When There Are Two Patients in One Body, is a collection of real birth stories from her career told with honesty, heart, and respect. Stephanie lives in East Grand Rapids, Michigan, where she enjoys cycling, yoga, reading, travel, and time with her family and friends. Her writing is inspired by the women and families she cared for and by a desire to ensure that every reader, nurse, parent, partner, or not, feels seen, understood, and connected through these stories.

Reviews

[Anna Wise · Rating 5 out of 5]

This powerful collection shares raw, emotional birth stories with vivid detail and honesty. The author's voice draws you in, making each story feel personal. There were some stories that had my crying and others had me laughing out loud! A worthwhile read for anyone curious about the realities of childbirth.

[Beth Snider · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this book for many reasons. I know the author and I appreciate her passion in her career and the way she has shared in a professional way many of her experiences as a Labor and Delivery nurse. I also greatly enjoyed the rich vocabulary and writing skill Stephanie used to weave not only some real life experiences but also her deep and personal life lessons after each accounting of a different birth story. But I think the main reason I loved this book was because I am a Mom, a woman who experienced first hand my own live births of three beautiful children. These three life changing events are still so vivid and clear to me, as if no time has passed, even though it has been thirty-four years since my last child was born.
I also am deeply thankful Stephanie shared her own heart in these pages. I would recommend this book wholeheartedly for its accuracy and professional accounting of a L & D nurse’s recollections of a handful of experiences from her career of decades but also for the intimate holiness she honors in the privilege I know I experienced firsthand as a mother of three and felt again through the turning of these pages.

[Jamie Hop · Rating 5 out of 5]

I flew through this book while simultaneously trying to slow myself down so I could savor it! The humanity brought to each story is inspiring and I’m looking forward to pressing this book into the hands of family and friends!

[Janine · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an interesting book filled with delivery stories by a nurse with over 30 years of nursing experience on a delivery unit of a large regional hospital. The stories range from uncomplicated births to the extremely life threatening ones and from cultural, ethnic and socioeconomic differences that add to the birth experiences. Told simply and in easy to understand language, these stories engage and fascinate (since I have no experience in medicine). The “lessons learned,” observations or educational information shared at the end of each story add greatly to each story. I enjoyed this short but informative book.

[Clare Chamberlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am so grateful that Stephanie Flood granted me an ARC as she worked on her novel. I loved reading these birth stories that revealed so many of life's lessons, provided insight into the structure of hospitals, shared unique stories and perspectives, and shed light on the experiences of women and their partners from all walks of life and backgrounds. I loved that Stephanie shared her unique perspective of a Labor and Delivery nurse. Her insights, skill set, and honesty reveal how this job is a true calling and plays such an important role in the lives of her patients. I can't wait to get my hands on a published, physical copy!

[Tori Ann Curtis · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book left me laughing and crying. It also left me extremely grateful and appreciative of my personal experience with childbirth and the amazing nurses who were there to support me. I’m left reminded that I was not their only patient that day, although they were wonderful enough to make me feel like it. This gives a glance at the extremely important role of labor and delivery nurses and the type of amazing person it takes to have this career. A great read!

[Dorothy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love birth stories and I've known Steph for years. I so appreciated her honesty in sharing the stories of her lifelong work as a Labor and Delivery Nurse. I'm quite sure she was one of the best. My only complaint is that the book is too short! lol

[Arianne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was so moved by this book. Having my own complicated delivery with my son, it was interesting to read from the nurses point of view. The one thing I wish there was more of was Stephanie weaving her whole story into the book- so the stories flowed more one into another, but totally understand and respect the way she put the book together.

[Marie Griffin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is well written and details the unique perspective of a bedside labor and delivery nurse. The stories are relatable to anyone who has worked in the field of obstetrics. Stephanie’s commentary after each vignette showcases the humanity in the nursing profession. What a gift this collection of stories is to all labor and delivery nurses and a testament to the wonderful human being that Stephanie is!

[Angie Krueger · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was an absolute gift to read—profound, articulate, and beautifully written. The author’s prose flows like a quiet stream over river rock: smooth, thoughtful, and gently shaped by the weight of real lives and real stories. The patients we meet in these pages are not just case studies or passing figures—they are boulders in the riverbed, shaping the course of the author’s own life as much as she shaped theirs.

What struck me most was how perfectly the author captured the essence of her profession. As a reader, you don’t feel like an outsider looking in—you feel as though you are standing beside her, witnessing the quiet courage, the vulnerability, and the deeply human moments that define her work.

I also deeply appreciated how her personal journey—becoming more fully herself—was seamlessly woven into these patient stories. There is this beautiful reciprocity in the way she supports her patients, and in turn, they help shape her into not just a better nurse, but a better human being. That humility, that openness to growth, made this book resonate on a very personal level.

I closed this book with a profound respect for the author—not only for her skill as a writer but for the honest, compassionate, and brave work she does in the world. This is a book I will not soon forget.

Mary Ann Meyer Jones, MD

[Catherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

To say I loved When There Are Two Patients in One Body is an understatement.

This book is a collection of birth stories experienced by a Labor and Delivery nurse with 30 years of experience. These stories were touching and I was hooked from the first one, finishing each story and wanting to know what the next one was going to be about.

However, this book is so much more than just the beautiful and heartbreaking birth stories of so many courageous women. It’s a book of love, grief, and a reminder to hold each other close, to greet each person with an open heart and they might just surprise you.

I recommend picking up this book with an open heart and letting it take you on a journey with Stephanie and all her patients. I can’t wait to read what comes next from this author!

[Amanda Lamfers · Rating 5 out of 5]

I truly loved this book! Such great insight.

[Rylie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stephanie’s book is as inspiring and heartwarming as she is! You will not want to put this book down when you start reading it. I loved every page.

[Karinda Maat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finished in a day!! So so good

[Steve M · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a MUST READ for everyone! I found her book after I started following her on here and I was pretty sure this would be a great book. It is better than I expected!
She is a retired Registered Nurse, worked in Labor and Delivery and writes about her amazing experiences that grab you, captivate you, pull at your heart strings.....you just step into her world as you read. I really think this book should be a "required" read for all nursing students, especially those who want to go into L&D. It's not all a bed of roses where every baby is born without complications.....a true account of what actually happens in those delivery rooms.
I don't think nurses get their due credit and most times they aren't appreciated for the compassion and care they give. Not all nurses are created equal, but the ones who love their job will never tell you "it's a job". They will tell you it's their calling. I admire her for her dedication to her patients and her devotion to staying a patient advocate. I know all of her patients remember her as an angel that made their life better.
One thought to add....I have heard women who told about the birth of a child and said that it was really the nurses that did everything to bring their baby into the world. Several of them said that their doctor showed up just in time to "catch the baby" and hand it to the nurse, then told them they had a healthy baby....not a healthy "boy" or "girl", just "baby". The next thing they got was a huge bill from the doctor for delivering their baby. Not saying that is generally the case, I'm just saying that L&D nurses pretty much run the department.
All of that comes to the fact that you HAVE to read this book! It will be one of the most memorable books you will ever read!
My only complaint about this book is that it was too short! I hope the author continues to write more about her experiences!