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Kaytee Morrissey, Nanticoke resident
Morrissey has two large hospitals with childbirth services within 15 minutes of her home. But when it came time to deliver her first child, Morrissey chose the Family Birth and Newborn Center at Lehigh Valley Hospital (LVH)–Hazleton, located over 30 minutes away.
“I visited other hospitals and met with other obstetricians, but I felt like a number,” Morrissey says. “Everyone in Hazleton made it feel so personal, from my obstetrician, to all the nurses.”
Mary Yanac, director of clinical operations for the Family Birth and Newborn Center, believes that Hazleton’s community setting sets the scene for personalized care. “All of my staff work together as a family and a team,” Yanac says. “I think that feeling translates to our patients.”
Morrissey, who was induced, remembers the nurse who started her labor. Although that nurse was off duty when Morrissey delivered, the next day she visited Morrissey’s newborn daughter, Olive.
“That meant the world to me,” Morrissey says. “She went out of her way to come meet Olive and visited me regularly during my stay. She made sure I had everything I needed.”
Jessica Wilkinson, Drums resident
Wilkinson delivered her first child by cesarean section, after laboring for hours. “From the very beginning, the nurses were phenomenal. They checked on me constantly, talked me through the epidural, and explained every step of my C-section,” Wilkinson says. “The nurses make you feel like they are there just for you.”
Wilkinson is particularly thankful for the care she and her newborn son were shown after delivery. “My son, James, had jaundice, and stayed at the hospital an additional night,” Wilkinson says. “Although I was discharged, they let me stay in the room with him and continued to check on both of us to make sure we were OK.”
Revitalized birth facilities
Renovations to the mother-baby unit will be complete in summer 2019, complementing renovations to labor and delivery rooms that were finished in November 2018. Among the amenities, all rooms in the Family Birth and Newborn Center are private suites and welcome the father of the baby to stay 24/7.
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