‘I Trust These Women With My Life’: OhioHealth Grant Nurses Navigate Motherhood Together
The labor and delivery unit at OhioHealth Grant Medical Center has always been a place where new life begins, but recently it became even more special. Almost a dozen of the nurses who work on the unit found themselves expecting babies at the same time.
Erin Williams was the first to announce her pregnancy, and as she headed out on maternity leave, she quickly found out that she wasn’t the only one expecting.
"It just trickled in, little by little, and then when I was on maternity leave, they were like, ‘Hey, guess who’s pregnant, guess who’s pregnant, guess who’s pregnant!’ It was pretty cool," Williams told NBC4 reporter Samantha Bender.
There are 10 babies in the hospital’s maternity ward, ranging in age from seven weeks to 19 months, with one more on the way. Having so many of the same experiences at the same time has made for a tight-knit support system, especially when it comes to balancing the demands of motherhood, work and breastfeeding.
"All of them breastfeed, and they have to cover each other if they’re going to pump, and it’s just so wonderful for our patients to see them working and breastfeeding," said Robin Lutz, Administrative Nurse Manager of Labor and Delivery at Grant Medical Center. “The positive things they can teach as nurses to the pregnant women that are here is truly incredible.”
Many of the women not only shared their pregnancy journeys with one another but also helped each other deliver their babies.
“I trust these women with my life, obviously,” said first-time mom, Kortney Belt said. “I gave them that opportunity, and they took care of me and my baby. I’m just so grateful to every one of them. I love them.”
For nurses like Jordan Fox, being a mother has only enhanced their ability to care for patients.
“I just really think it’s special to be there for moms that are going through this time, and it makes it even better when you’ve gone through it yourself. You can understand where their anxiety during labor comes from,” said Fox, who has three children.
Taylor Krinock, who recently gave birth to her son Lane, said, “I think it’s really great—we always know we have a support system we can ask, and if we run into any issues, we always have a buddy to ask, and they’re probably going through the same thing we are.”
For Elizabeth Barrowman, a first-time mother to an eight-month-old girl, having others to turn to has been a lifeline.
“If I have any questions or any breastfeeding tips or baby tips, I have someone I can call, multiple people I can text, too, which is really nice,” she said. “They’re going through the same thing I am—the sleepless nights.”
From sleepless nights to navigating the chaos of new parenthood, having a built-in group of people who “get it” has made all the difference. And with Jaclyn Nowak’s baby girl on the way in January, the circle of support is only growing stronger.
“She’s lucky already,” said Nowak. “She doesn’t even know it.”
