Baby!

Birth Story: Cast of Characters - Greene Memorial Hospital

Greene Memorial Hospital was the perfect place to give birth to Alexander. The LDRP rooms are huge, and very comfortable. They have rocking chairs and lots of room for guests, and are decorated in a homey fashion, so I really felt comfortable there. They have policies that I agree with, such as: the baby never leaves the room. Alexander didn't leave our sight until... well... he still hasn't, but you get the point. They didn't do any medical procedures (eye drops, blood tests) without asking us first, to be sure that we wanted them done. The women's center is very small, only three rooms, so I didn't feel like a number. Everyone that came in knew my name, and my baby's name (once he had one).

My first nurse was Mary Ellen, and she was there when we got the worrisome test results. She was so supportive and caring that she really made me believe that it would all be all right. She explained the NST strip to me, and showed me that he was getting plenty of accelerations per 10 minute period, so despite what the ultrasound had showed, he was doing fine in there. She told me that she felt him kick when she was putting the monitors on my belly, and she was so excited when he got the hiccups! Without her, I probably would have been far more panicked than I was. Travis and Delia were very calming, but I trusted Mary Ellen to have the medical expertise to tell me that everything was going well.

She took care of my every need for most of the morning and early afternoon, including bringing me tons of apple juice, lunch, a warm blanket to stop me from shaking, and various other items that made me feel better. It was wonderful that she did those things, but it was really her personality that made me feel so good. She called the baby 'Alexander' right from the start, which made me feel like he was already a person, and would be fine.

When I went back to the hospital for the 1 week meeting with the lactation consultant, she was so happy to see me and Alexander! It was very fun to see her again, and I even got to get pictures!

Terri came on duty at 3:30, when I was already in labor. She was there during the entire labor and delivery, and was the person who had enough presence of mind to yell over to me from the warming table that Alexander was pinking right up, so I wouldn't be lying over there worrying about him. She was always getting things that I needed, and taking care of unpleasant tasks like measuring my urine output and cleaning up my blood. I was not entirely in the room during this time (I was lost someplace in my body) so I don't know exactly what she was doing, but I always felt that she was there, taking care of me, and ready to give me any support that I needed.

Terri was the nurse who showed us how to bathe him, and how to make him into a baby taco, and told us pretty much everything we needed to know. She was so competent and assured that it made me feel comfortable with my baby, far sooner than I expected to.

Thank you, Mary Ellen and Terri! You helped make my birthing experience perfect!

I can't imagine giving birth anywhere else, and am definitely planning on returning to GMH for our next child's delivery! I was extremely impressed!