USA Health Children’s & Women’s Hospital experiencing baby boom among Labor & Delivery staff
Children’s & Women’s Hospital delivers more babies than any other hospital on the upper Gulf Coast of Alabama and remains the region’s leader in births, with more than 2,700 deliveries annually.
By Casandra Andrews
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The largest labor and delivery department in the region at USA Health Children’s & Women’s Hospital is experiencing a bit of a baby boom — not only among the families they serve, but also within their own care team.
Since the beginning of the year, 16 out of the 81 nurses in the unit have either welcomed new babies or are expecting them soon. For those who spend their careers guiding mothers through the wonders of childbirth, the experience has added new layers of connection and understanding.
One of the nurses expecting a new baby is Kensi L. Duncan, BSN, C-EFM, RNC-OB, RN, nurse manager for Labor & Delivery and the OB/GYN Evaluation Center at the hospital.
Duncan, who plans to deliver at Children’s & Women’s Hospital, said the experience of becoming a mother tends to deepen a nurse’s understanding of what their patients go through.
“It changes the way you educate and care for patients in a positive way once you have been through it yourself and are able to provide even more empathy,” she said. “Patients will ask the nurses about their pregnancy and find it comforting to have that commonality. Since the vast majority of our nurses choose to deliver at USA Health, it also reassures them that they have made the right choice to deliver with us.”
So, what caused the mini baby boom? Signs point to the winter snowstorm in January that blanketed the Gulf Coast with more than 8 inches of snow, shutting down streets and closing most businesses for days.
“For our nurses alone, we have three that are due the same week in October,” Duncan said, “and we anticipate a surge in other patients delivering in October as well.”
The influx of new arrivals has delivered even more excitement and joy to the unit, as well as the occasional challenge of managing schedules.
“For me, the most interesting part has been pre-planning for the baby boom,” Duncan said. “We have a plan with our administration on how we will continue to provide safe and excellent care while we have nurses out with their babies.”
Children’s & Women’s Hospital delivers more babies than any other hospital on the Alabama Gulf Coast and remains the region’s leader in births, with more than 2,700 deliveries annually, which is more than half of the babies born in Mobile County each year.
