"The Fact That These Babies Can Stay Here Really Does Make a Difference:" Mansfield Hospital's Pediatric Hospitalist Program Celebrates 10 Years of Keeping Expert Care Local

You won't find many babies happier than Aurora Britton. 

Healthy and secure in her mom's arms, the nine-month-old smiles from ear to ear.

But it was a long road to get here, starting with her early arrival at just 27-weeks gestation.  

“I was diagnosed at 25 weeks gestation with Preeclampsia with severe features,” said Casey Britton, mother of Aurora. “We tried all of the things to keep her inside, knowing that every week was a better outcome for her. But at 27 weeks and four days, she decided that enough was enough. When she was born, she let this little tiny squawk out, just one little squawk, and at that point I knew that she was going to fight and she was going to be ok.”

Aurora was born in Akron at two pounds, ten pounces, and was immediately taken to the NICU.

There, she fought for her life, while Casey recovered from her emergency surgery.

“Aurora, at that time, was on a ventilator, so it was just very touch and go,” said Casey. “So it was hard to be away from her.”

Once Casey could visit her baby, she had to juggle her time with her other children at home in Mansfield, including a 15-year-old, 11-year-old, and two-year-old foster child.

Plus, with it being over an hour drive to see Aurora, Casey and her husband were stretched thin. 

“I had to go back to work when she was only five weeks old,” said Casey. “And then it made it even harder, because she was so far away, and we were all here, and that’s when I started looking into getting her closer to home because that’s what we all needed.”

Casey knew about OhioHealth Mansfield Hospital's Special Care Nursery, able to take in babies 32 weeks gestation and up, and advocated to get Aurora moved there. 

On April first, after Aurora had reached two months, she was transferred to Mansfield. 

“She had an uncomplicated stay,” said Martin Hanawalt MD, medical director of the Pediatric Hospitalist Program at Mansfield Hospital.

According to Dr. Hanawalt, the Special Care Nursery cares for babies like Aurora all the time.

The program, made possible through a partnership with Nationwide Children's Hospital, is now celebrating ten years at Mansfield Hospital, providing four full-time physicians, as well as one part-time, all board certified in Pediatrics. 

And according to Casey, that expert care, available 24-7, made all the difference for Aurora.

“She started thriving within days of being here,” said Casey. “Starting to eat more, needing less oxygen, needing less feeding tube. It was just amazing to see.”

With consistent care, and having mom and dad around every day, Aurora was reaching her milestones and was able to go home after just ten days. 

The happy girl is now growing and flourishing at home, something that once seemed so far away in her early days. Casey thanks Mansfield's Pediatric Hospitalist Program for helping to make it happen.

As for other new moms in Richland County and the surrounding area, she's got a message: “They need to know that they don’t have to drive to Columbus to get this,” said Casey. “They can have Columbus care right here in Mansfield.”