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Summer 2004 Planning Pleasant ExperiencesNew Cesarean Section Team Brings Added Expertise and Efficiency to Labor and DeliveryAs the second busiest maternity service in the state, AAMC’s Women’s and Children’s Services is always looking for ways to make the birthing experience as pleasant as possible for mothers and babies.  Cesarean Section Team (l-r): Karen Saleme, Mindy Stedding, Judy Brouse, Marci Martino, Melody Havernor, Beth Boyd “We expect to deliver 5,100 babies this year, breaking yet another record,” said Karen Doyle, executive director of Women’s and Children’s. “To keep functioning at this level requires that we continually seek ways to improve efficiency while maintaining quality care. To that end, in February, we created a special OR team to manage all scheduled Cesarean section deliveries. We invited nurses who had an interest in participating on this team and are delighted with the results.” AAMC’s new team is made up of six nurses, Mindy Stedding, R.N., CNIII, Marci Martino, R.N., CN II, June Brouse, R.N., Melody Havernor, R.N., Karen Saleme, R.N., and Beth Boyd, L.P.N. Ms. Stedding also leads the C-section team for the entire Labor and Delivery unit, ensuring that the same quality of care is delivered 24/7. Each of these nurses has had specialized training in pre-, intra- and post-operative nursing. Each week this team performs about 20 to 24 scheduled C-sections. “Our team improves the efficiency and quality in the OR, because the more C-sections they perform, the more they come together as a team,” said Ms. Doyle. “It provides consistency and a skill level that is beneficial to patients, physicians, and nursing staff.” Medical Director of Women’s and Children’s Services Susan Peeler, M.D. said, “Every day we are striving to make giving birth at AAMC a safer, easier, and more enjoyable experience. Having specially trained Labor and Delivery nurses to handle the many nuances of childbirth is a true asset to the community.”
“Every day we are striving to make giving birth at AAMC a safer, easier, and more enjoyable experience.”
—Karen Doyle, Executive Director, Women’s and Children’s Services Besides being busy in Labor and Delivery, the Women’s and Children’s Services also includes 36 private postpartum rooms where families and newborns can spend their first few days in privacy. Each mom is encouraged to relax, be pampered and spend time getting to know her new baby. Between feedings and naps, new moms are offered massage therapy. There’s also special TV programming—the 24-hour Newborn Channel, with advice and information on infant care and many other topics of interest to new families. Babies who need special care due to prematurity, high bilirubin counts, or other conditions requiring dedicated monitoring may stay in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), which has a national rating of Level III+. That rating means that AAMC can care for extremely premature infants. Ms. Doyle said, “Mothers can feel confident that they have a highly qualified team caring for them and their newborns.” |
