This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of SSM Health St. Mary’s. The opinions and text are all mine.
My Doctor
I found the list of doctors on my insurance and began researching them. I love that there’s websites with ratings from patients so I can get a good feel for the doctor. This method has not failed me and I’ve found amazing OBGYNs (I’ve had 4 so far because we’ve moved so much). Also asking on local Facebook groups is helpful too! I found a doctor who was sympathetic to my situation. In fact, one of his babies also had marginal insertion of the umbilical cord so he knew exactly what I was going through.
My Hospital – SSM Health St. Mary’s
Of my 4 babies being delivered, only 2 were delivered by my actual doctor. Sometimes when doctors are occupied with C-sections or when babies come in the middle of the night, you don’t always get your doctor at delivery. But you can control the hospital where your baby is delivered. When we moved to Wisconsin, I asked other women who had babies at SSM Health St. Mary’s Family Birth Suites what their experience was like and everyone had great things to say. It made me feel more comfortable about my baby’s delivery especially with my at-risk pregnancy.
SSM St. Mary’s has the assurance of a Level III NICU and access to 24/7 maternal fetal medicine specialists if ever they are needed. And I met those maternal fetal medicine specialists many times and they are amazing! I needed to have multiple ultrasounds to check on Jack’s growth throughout my pregnancy to make sure he was developing. The specialists and ultra sound techs were so friendly! I always felt comfortable there especially when I felt a little nervous to see how Jack was doing. I also felt like I could ask any questions and the doctors would give me direct answers and they were very informative. It was great leaving the hospital and knowing my situation exactly.
My Birthing Story
When you’re pregnant, you hope everything will go smoothly. And most of the time it does. But sometimes events happen that we can’t control and being at a hospital with one-to-one expert nursing care to ensure your needs are met every step of the way is super important.
A few weeks before Jack was born, I found out that the placenta previa had moved and that he was growing normally so I should have a normal delivery. So I was expecting smooth sailing. On delivery day everything went just as planned. I loved that I was able to choose my birth plan and the doctors and nurses allowed me to take the lead in what I wanted to do. I could walk around to help the contractions increase and stop when I wanted. The pampering delivery rooms were the largest I’ve ever been in and included a soaking tub, flat screen TV, and plenty of room for my husband and me!
Here comes the craziness during this delivery!
THEN only moments after my son was delivered, we received a phone call that my 4 year old daughter had an accident and needed stitches. So my husband picked her up and brought her back to the hospital emergency room to get stitches.
They stopped by the recovery room – which was seriously a Hotel-like recovery room with a full-size bed and memory foam mattress, so comfortable! – where Kami met baby Jack before she left to get her stitches. The next morning the nurses were so nice and asked how Kami was doing. I felt like the nurses at SSM Health St. Mary’s really cared about me and my family and I was impressed that they knew about what had happened to Kami.
This pregnancy and delivery definitely had ups and down, but I was so glad that I chose St. Mary’s Family Birth Suites early in my pregnancy. They took care of me and my baby before and after delivery. I had the support I needed from the moment I moved to Wisconsin even with family and friends so far away.