Yup, my suggestion is to hold her tight.
Desensitizing is the best option. Won't hurt and could work. My dogs let me clip their nails. I usually have somebody restrain Rylee though. He's got springs in his butt.
I try to avoid having anybody else do it. At vet offices (here anyway), they cut quickly and aren't afraid to make pups bleed (because it's just unavoidable sometimes and owners usually want more than a tipping). I prefer to just take a little bit off, avoid all pain, and hopefully the next time it will go smoothly. If mine get hurt, I know they would scream bloody murder the next time I did it. So we are very careful.