A Parent's Perspective on EAMC's new Level II Nursery and Neonatology Services
October 7, 2019
Traye, Will and Molly Hulsey
(Editor’s Note: This testimonial was written by Traye Hulsey during week 4 of what turned out to be a 5-week visit for his son in EAMC’s new Level II Nursery. Traye, Molly and Will are now happy to be home.)
My wife, Molly, and I were very excited when we confirmed our pregnancy in January, and our excitement only grew when we learned we were expecting a boy. We knew going into the pregnancy that Molly always had elevated blood pressure, but it was never serious enough for her to be diagnosed with anything.
In late July, we experienced our first bump in the road during an OB/GYN appointment, when our physician noticed Molly was having contractions that she could not feel. She was sent to EAMC and administered medication to control and stop the contractions. After a week of rest, she was released to return to work.
In early August, the pregnancy went from being an exciting journey to being somewhat of a worrisome one. We were scheduled to leave for Birmingham for the weekend to attend two baby showers for Molly that family was hosting there. During an OB/GYN appointment that Friday, Molly’s physician noticed that she was having contractions again, this time accompanied with increased dilation. We were sent to EAMC again, and this time, she was in the hospital until August 26.
While we were both upset to be missing our weekend plans, our families graciously made the trip here and brought the baby showers to us. We had a baby shower in Molly’s hospital room on Saturday afternoon. While it was not our original plan, it was a great time and really helped lift our spirits.
The following Monday, we received news that we would need to remain at EAMC until our son’s birth. Molly had been diagnosed with preeclampsia, and the plan was for us to get as close to 40 weeks as possible with the pregnancy. This plan was soon altered to an induction at 34 weeks.
During this time, we began to learn more about the new Level II Nursery and Neonatology services offered at EAMC. We had heard stories about families having their babies transferred to UAB and Montgomery, which we knew would not be ideal or convenient.
On August 24, our son, Will, was born. Everyone who participated during the labor process and during the delivery was very professional and gave us all the information we needed during and after our son’s birth. We really enjoyed getting to know the physicians, nurses and techs during this time. They took great care of both Molly and Will, and even ensured we were able to spend some time with him before he was put into the special care nursery.
The first few nights of Will’s stay were hard. It was difficult to leave him and see him with tubes, leads and IVs. However, as we got to know the staff more, our sense of peace and confidence grew. The staff at EAMC has become like family to us. We know he is in great hands, and we no longer have so much worry. The nursery has become like a second home to us, and the physicians have continued to keep us up to date with Will’s status and progression plan.
It was great to be able to have our son stay at EAMC a mere 10 minutes from our home. Looking back on our experience, staying in town allowed us not only to stay close to our son during his time progressing, but also allowed us to accomplish more in both our personal and work lives. I was able to continue working during this time, and my wife was able to work from her laptop during hospital stays.
For any family that is going through or anticipates the potential of going through something similar, I would want them to know that EAMC and the Level II Nursery staff are true professionals. They understand their capabilities and resources and always relay information in a clear and transparent manner. While this isn’t the journey we envisioned for the birth of our first child, I am confident we will look back on it fondly because of the people and staff at EAMC who became family to us. We give all the glory to God because this is His plan, His timing and His journey for us.
COD10 AssetID
239610
External ID
711
Integration Source
COD10
Integration Source URL
https://www.eastalabamahealth.org/news-and-media/level-ii-nursery-testimonial
