Much has changed since Teri Wilde and Lynn Beck started working at St. Elizabeth Healthcare in the early 1970s. Back then, maternity nurses wore white from head to toe, and dads never stepped foot in the delivery room. In the years since, these women have cared for thousands of moms and babies, Teri as a Nurse Manager and Lynn as a Nurse Sonographer (she performs ultrasounds). Here, they discuss the changes they’ve seen in maternity care and why they still love working at St. Elizabeth Family Birth Place.
You Started Your Careers as Nurses in the Old “St. Elizabeth North Unit” in Covington, Ky. What Do You Remember About Those Days?
Lynn: When I started, we didn’t have fetal monitors. The doctor used a special stethoscope to listen to the baby’s heartbeat. You timed contractions by putting your hand on mom’s belly. Most women in labor got general anesthesia. Now, of course, it’s mostly epidural anesthesia or natural childbirth.
Teri: We had three little nurseries with about 20 bassinets in each one. That’s where the babies stayed. Parents lined up at the viewing window to look at them — just like you see on the old TV shows.
The Maternity Department Moved to St. Elizabeth Hospital Edgewood in 1984. A Year Later, It Had a New Name: the Family Birth Place. What Do You Remember About Those Days?
Teri: It was exciting to have moms and babies come to the beautiful Edgewood location. It was so bright and airy, especially compared to the older Covington building. A few years later, we closed the baby nurseries and created a new model of care where labor, delivery, recovery and post-partum (LDRP) all happened in one room.
LDRP rooms changed everything because nurses needed all-around labor-and-delivery skills. Nurse training programs are much more intensive now. Our nurses complete a fellowship program that involves classroom teaching, on-the-job training and mentorship. It’s almost a year-long process. They can also get certified in specialty areas, such as fetal monitoring and newborn nursing care. I’m proud to see our younger nurses grow professionally and accomplish so many things in their careers.
Note: About 10 years ago, the Family Birth Place added post-partum suites. Moms and babies transfer there after the recovery period.
How Does the Family Birth Place Continue to Evolve to Meet the Community’s Needs?
Teri: When we moved to Edgewood, we didn’t have a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) for premature babies and newborns with complex medical issues. We added that in 2013 as part of our commitment to meet families’ needs close to home.
Lynn: Now, we have so many pediatric specialists to care for these babies and their families, and programs for high-risk moms. For example, our Maternal-Fetal Medicine doctors see women with diabetes and manage them very closely to ensure a safe pregnancy. They also care for pregnant women with pre-existing heart conditions or high blood pressure. We have wonderful genetic counselors who meet with parents when there is a concern about familial disease, such as a blood disorder.
We often add new services when we notice new needs in our community. Fifty years ago, all our patients spoke English as their first language. Now, in any given day, it seems about one-third of our moms speak English as a second language. We offer an iPad-based interpretation service for many languages. And we recently hired a Spanish Interpreter to work full-time at the Family Birth Place. Our staff lobbied the hospital administration for that role, and they listened.
What is It Like to Care for Generations at the Family Birth Place?
Lynn: Young women come to the Ultrasound Department with their moms or grandmas, who tell them, “Oh, this is Lynn! She took care of me when I had your sister,” or “Lynn did my ultrasounds.” I’m always so touched when people remember me from years earlier.
And I can’t tell you how many times I’ve run into someone at Kroger who says, “You did my ultrasound — here’s my baby now!” I always joke that their baby looks a lot different than the last time I saw them.
Teri: I’ve been involved in the births of so many family members — for example, my brother’s kids were born here, and two of them had children here. I am blessed to be an adopted mom, and my husband and I got to be in the room when our son was born. The experience was so wonderful.
There is something very special about being part of someone’s childbirth experience, whether they are a family member or someone you just met. It’s a good reminder that life goes on.
Learn More About the Family Birth Place
For more information about services available through the Family Birth Place, visit our website.
