[2 MIN READ | 3 MIN WATCH]
During a time wrought with stress and uncertainty caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, there’s something to be joyous about in Spokane, Washington. Fifteen caregivers working in the same maternity unit at Providence Holy Family Hospital are sharing one of the most sacred journeys in life: becoming a parent.
It started in early 2021, when Courtney Peterson and Sara Radoslovich, two nurses working in the Family Maternity Center announced they were pregnant. Then came another…and another…and well, over the next few months, 15 nurses who have worked together for years were all expecting babies. It was a baby boom that further transformed coworkers into family.
The journey to motherhood can be stressful, but these nurses had a lot of fun sharing the experience and caring for each other. Through honesty and compassion, they carried each other through the highs and lows and supported each other by gifting baby items from older children or simply providing coverage for patients if one of the nurses needed a break.
But they didn’t just help each other – they also took their individual experiences as expectant moms to the bedside of the maternity patients they serve.
As a demonstration of solidarity – and to keep track of who’s expecting on what date to ensure shifts were covered – they created a whiteboard called the Prego Club with each nurse’s name, due date, and the genders of their babies.
Vanessa Amorin, a postpartum nurse working in the Maternity Center at Providence Holy Family Hospital, shared, “I was on the board and there were two others before me, and then when my name was at the top of the board, I was like oh shoot I’m next!”
From bottles to nausea medication to parenting tips and tricks, these nurses came together in a unique shared experience that brought them closer together and gave them new tools to care for expectant moms who are about to walk in their shoes. “It’s been fun to go through this season together,” Heidi Mohn, a Labor & Delivery nurse, says, “Just many moms sharing this joy together.”
“Pregnancy is rough, but it’s better when you have friends,” Vanessa noted. That captures the true spirit of these caregivers.
Watch the three-minute video below to learn more about the nurses and their collective journey into motherhood.
Related resources
Midwives and doulas working together to create your birth dream team
Pregnancy: Everything you need to know for your journey
Living beyond congenital heart disease: A story of care and motherhood
Pelvic floor therapy: Restoring health for new moms and women of all ages
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