As is the hope of most parents-to-be, Natalie wanted the best for her new arrivals when the time came. A safe place to welcome each family member into the world was always a priority. She found the care and support she was looking for inside the Ann Marti Schmidt Women & Infant Services Unit at Texas Health Cleburne.
“I can’t even put into words just how thankful I am even to this day for Texas Health Cleburne’s part in our family,” Natalie says.
“The birth of a child only happens a couple of times in somebody’s lifetime, normally,” notes Mellanie Keever, BSN RNC-OB, director of Women & Infant Services at Texas Health Cleburne. “We choose to try to make it a really great experience for the patient and their visitors.”
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Patient Testimonial: Natalie Montgomery - Texas Health Cleburne Maternity Services
That great experience begins with pregnancy and the offering of a host of childbirth classes and carries through delivery and beyond. Childbirth and Family Education classes for first-time parents, as well as those wanting a little refresher, include Baby Care Basics, Breastfeeding, Prenatal Yoga, Dad Basic Training and Grandparents 101.
“Being part of a large system like Texas Health Resources, we’re able to offer extensive classes prenatally to our patients,” Keever says. “We also offer private suites for our patients from admission all the way to discharge.”
In the private suites at Texas Health Cleburne, expectant moms and family members are greeted by thoughtful accommodations that include a full-size bathroom, a pullout sofa for overnight sleepers and ambient lighting to promote relaxation. Once baby arrives, mom and her significant other are treated to a celebratory meal — all with the goal of providing a customized birthing experience centered around a comfortable and secure setting.
“We take whatever the preferences are of the family and try to tailor our work around them as best as we possibly can,” Keever explains.
For Natalie, that meant the experience of natural water births. All four of her daughters were born using the hospital’s hydrotherapy tubs which enabled her to be immersed in warm water during labor.
Hydrotherapy is one comfort measure offered to expectant moms at Texas Health Cleburne to promote pain relief and a sense of calm during childbirth. Other available options for pain management are nitrous oxide and administration of an epidural.
“The care is just phenomenal; they know what they’re doing,” Natalie says. “They love their patients.”
Family involvement is another aspect of the birth experience that Texas Health Cleburne prides itself on, according to Keever. “We’re not just welcoming in a baby with the mom; we’re welcoming the baby into the entire family, and we fully support that at Texas Health Cleburne.”
Natalie says she whole-heartedly believes in the experience Texas Health Cleburne delivers for moms and babies. “They have changed my life for the better. I am a mother to six beautiful kids and a huge part of that is because of them.
The friendships I have made along the way through their staff and even the doctors. They all hold special places in my heart. I’m so thankful for each of them and the role they have played in our lives and the family I’ve gotten because of their care and because of their love,” she happily adds.
Learn about the Texas Health maternity experience at TexasHealth.org/MaternityExperience. To find an OB/GYN in Cleburne, visit TexasHealth.org/CleburneBaby.