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WHY GROUP HEALTH? MEMBERS SAY IT BEST Tami Brockway Joyce This story taken from Northwest Health, Spring 2007. Tami and her husband, Paco Joyce, had counted on their baby having an out-of-hospital birth, attended by their midwife. But their plans went out the window when complications arose. Their baby was two weeks overdue and labor had to be induced at Group Health's Family Beginnings Birthing Center on the Capitol Hill Campus in Seattle. After 21 hours of labor, doctors performed a Caesarean. Then their infant daughter, Raena, contracted pneumonia at birth. Both mother and infant had to stay at Family Beginnings for two weeks, with the baby in the Special Care Nursery. "At first we were crushed that we couldn't have the birth we wanted, scared to be needing doctors and the operating room, and terrified that our baby might die. Plus it was gut-wrenching to leave Raena in the Special Care Nursery," says Tami. "But the Family Beginnings staff was so understanding and reassuring every step of the way. They gave us awesome support during my labor, and the nursery nurses weren't just competent — they truly loved those babies. They helped us feel OK about leaving our daughter while we rested or had a meal, and they helped Raena — and us — recover. Those nurses were angels and lifesavers in every way." As a doula who supports women through home deliveries, Tami says she had always heard that if you have your baby at a hospital, you want to deliver at Group Health. "I now know that's true. Our experience was personal and intimate, and it was great to have experienced doctors and hospital technology right there when we needed extra help." One lesson she learned: "Be open-minded and roll with the punches. Even if things don't go as planned, there's always something to be grateful for." POSTED: March 2008 MOST RECENT STORIES
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