Every Birth Story Deserves Personalized Care [Melinda Pahl]

Every birth story is unique — and so is the care behind it. In this video, Melinda shares her experience delivering her first baby at Brookings Health System, highlighting the personalized support, calm environment, and team-based approach that made her feel confident and cared for from start to finish. Her story reflects how thoughtful communication, flexible options, and family involvement can shape a positive labor and delivery experience.

  • Personalized labor support: Nurses offered multiple comfort options, positions, and techniques tailored to her needs throughout induction and labor.
  • Clear communication reduces fear: The care team explained the epidural, induction process, and pushing phase in a calm, reassuring way.
  • Family involvement matters: Her husband was encouraged to participate in meaningful ways, from labor support to cutting the cord.
  • Breastfeeding support with options: Staff supported her choice to breastfeed while also explaining alternatives like donor milk or formula.
  • A calm, patient-centered environment: She describes feeling “not like a statistic, but a patient,” supported by positive energy from the entire team.

Frequently Asked Questions

Personalized labor and delivery care is an approach that tailors medical support, comfort techniques, and communication to each mother’s unique needs and preferences. It includes flexible pain management options, position changes, family involvement, and clear explanations at every step.

The decision to get an epidural is personal and based on comfort, pain level, and labor progression. Care teams typically explain timing, benefits, and what to expect so patients can choose when they feel ready.

Alternatives include position changes, walking, birthing balls, hydrotherapy (tub use), heating pads, breathing techniques, and labor support coaching. Many patients use a combination of these methods before or instead of choosing an epidural.

An epidural is generally safe but may cause temporary side effects such as lowered blood pressure, limited mobility, or the need for additional monitoring. An anesthesia provider reviews risks and answers questions before administration.

Breastfeeding support typically begins shortly after birth with immediate skin-to-skin contact and assistance with latching. If needed, alternatives such as donor milk or formula may be offered while still supporting the mother’s feeding goals.

Video Transcript

I am Melinda Pahl. I was born and raised in Brookings, South Dakota. I currently live in Tyler, Minnesota and the decision to come back to Brookings to deliver my baby just seemed so natural to me. I am a fourth-grade teacher in Lake Benton, Minnesota and I have loved every second of being a patient at Brookings Health System for the delivery of my first child.

How was your labor and delivery?

It was definitely a very seamless process. We checked in the emergency room at 7 p.m. The nurse came in and just explained what the induction process typically looks like, but obviously it's different for each person. And the nurse was awesome about explaining things to me, offering different options as far as, like, being able to get rest that night and things like that because we knew that it was probably going to be a longer process, but we were just definitely felt more relaxed and at ease as we got to talking to the nurse and getting settled into our room.

How did the staff comfort you?

So the nurse was really my day nurse that Thursday kind of when labor pain started and things like that. She was awesome about offering different solutions in bed, walking the halls. As far as getting in the tub she was awesome about that and she showed me different positions that I could try in bed. She was awesome about assisting in some of those. There was a blanket that she used for one and so she taught my husband and my mom how to do that so that they could help out with that. I was encouraged to bounce on the ball, walk the halls. I kept saying I didn't know when would be the time for the epidural when I decided that I was ready for that and everybody just kept telling me, "You'll know when the time is, you'll know when the time is." But our nurse was awesome about explaining and offering different positions that I could put myself in to keep myself comfortable. And then baby was actually sunny-side up so that was causing a lot of back pain for me and we just kept trying, like, a heating pad and things like that to try to make myself comfortable. And baby's heart rate couldn't necessarily be picked up on the monitor at all times so that's why we were just trying a bunch of different techniques to see what would work best. We tried different monitors and things like that, but once I was settled and relaxed, we were definitely able to pick up baby a little bit more.

As a first-time mom, what were your biggest concerns?

One of the first things that I feared was the epidural. Like I said, just knowing what the needle looked like and the administration was going to be like, I was not sure how that was going to go. But like I said, as soon as the anesthesia walked in, they were calm, comforting, reassuring and I was able to relax and kind of forget about those fears. And then another fear that I had was just what pushing was going to look like because as I mentioned you see in the movies it's very dramatic, I guess would be the word that you can say. But after those practice pushes, I felt like my body knew what my body was supposed to be doing. And when I wasn't sure if it was time, like I had mentioned, the doctor or the nurses said, "Okay, Melinda, you're having a contraction," and my body was able to just do what it needed to do and it was not a fear after five minutes or even after those practice pushes. It just took over and my body did what it needed to do, so.

How did the staff make your husband feel supported and involved?

They definitely allowed him to be as involved as he wanted to be and him and I have had conversations that we're shocked with how involved he actually ended up being. Leading up to the delivery day, it was tough for him to know what that was going to look like and they, you know, kept saying, "Dad, this is what you can do. Dad, we can try this," and he was very involved in the process, from pushing all the way to cutting the cord and getting measurements and things like that. And they never took away from his experience. They were always offering him the option or asking him what he was comfortable doing, so he definitely felt supported and I felt like, as a mom, with that epidural and relaxed, I couldn't do as much. So I felt like if a parent needed to be involved, they were definitely supportive of him being involved instead of me.

How would you describe the moment your baby arrived?

I keep telling people it was like an out-of-body experience just because the room and the environment was so calm. I remember feeling the release of pressure when she was delivered and she was immediately placed on my chest. And in that moment, I just felt like it was my husband, Mesa and I, and there was a lot going on with the nurses and Dr. Haarsma, but all I could focus on was the baby that I had just delivered and it was a very surreal feeling. I kept anticipating the day that she was going to be here but when that moment actually happened, it just made everything feel so much more real. We were very excited, that eager feeling was definitely kicking in and we knew that this is our new normal and we were definitely excited for our new normal.

Did you feel supported in your decision to breastfeed?

I did 100% feel supported in my decision. I did decide that I was going to breastfeed and again, I didn't know what that was going to look like. I was offered the option of donor milk or formula if we needed it in the hospital, but my baby, Mesa latched on right away and we were able to start the breastfeeding experience from shortly after delivery. And I just continued trying, even if I felt defeated in some of the moments, I knew that there were options if I needed them but I was going to keep doing what I felt like I could do.

What stands out most to you about your labor and delivery experience?

All the conversations have been the staff. We felt very supported by the staff. We felt very encouraged by the staff and we just felt like there was a lot of positive energy. I have continually said that I did not feel like a statistic. I felt like a patient. They were very personable and positive, so the staff, from the nurses to the anesthesia team, the doctor, I mean, people even just passing by in the hall, they all made it a very positive experience for us, a very exciting time. And they were celebrating in that excitement with us, so we felt that the staff was definitely a big piece of our delivery experience.

Would you recommend delivery at Brookings Health System?

I would recommend Brookings Health System because they are equipped to take care of you and make you feel like you are a patient here and just providing that positive experience in our community. Brookings Health System is here for you and they will make the experience, from the second you walk through the doors to the second you walk out the doors, a positive one for you. So I definitely feel like Brookings Health System was the place for us to deliver and I will be back for any kids that we decide to have in the future.

Are you one of Brookings Health System's grateful patients who would like to give back to us? Learn more about how you can give back at brookingshealth.org/MyThanks.

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