I'm a Gigi!

I changed my name this week. I'm no longer just Glenni or Mom. On Wednesday at 1:35 pm I became Gigi to the most precious little boy ever, Nicholas Sebastian Velasquez. My daughter Sarah was 34 weeks pregnant when she gave birth, but she had been in and out of Huntsville Hospital for Women and Children for the last month with preterm labor.

The first time she went in she was 30 weeks, bleeding and cramping. The L & D staff was absolutely fabulous. Sarah stayed for nearly a week, got steroid shots, and had strict instructions to stay in bed. During her time there, Jennifer who works with NICU parents came to see her as did Cindy, the NICU lactation consultant. She was also able to tour the NICU with Judy (who ended up being one of Nicholas' nurses) and get all her questions answered about what would happen if the baby did come early.  A week later she was back to L & D for a night. 

Last Monday when she went to the doctor for her check-up, she told him that her contractions were waking her up at night. He gave her some Ambien so she could get some rest, but said he felt like she'd probably have the baby this week.

The Ambien worked really well Monday night. She slept from 10:30 until 4:00 am. At 4:00 Tuesday her contractions jolted her awake.By Tuesday afternoon she was using a birthing ball to help her manage the discomfort from her contractions. Tuesday night we headed back to L & D for a third and final time.

When Nicholas was born there were two NICU nurses in the room waiting to care for him. His apgar scores were terrific - 9 and 8. So Sarah and Enrique did get to hold him for a few minutes before they took him up to the NICU. On the way to her room on the 5th floor, Sarah got to see Nicholas again in the NICU. Touching his soft skin and head full of hair brought tears of joy.

I can't say enough about how wonderful the doctors, nurses and personnel have been. Kelly, Lori, Emry, Amy, Melissa, Judy, and Stacy all merit special thanks for their terrific, compassionate care of both mother and baby. It's a blessing knowing that even though Sarah isn't there, Nicholas has round-the-clock care by such loving nurses. 

I'm also very thankful for my own firsthand experience with these incredible care-givers. For years, A Nurturing Moment has had a special relationship with Crestwood - we provide their breastpump rental, and years ago I was involved in writing their breastfeeding protocol. Up to this point I've had more first-hand knowledge about the terrific quality of care for moms and babies at Crestwood. Now I have first-hand knowledge about both hospitals! Now when I tell mothers that both hospitals are great, I have the experience with both to back it up.