Finding Community and Support After Birth [Jeannie Rossow]

My name is Jeannie Rossow. I am from Brookings, South Dakota, and I'm a nursing instructor, and this is my son Matthew. I have two kids. I have an older daughter named Sarah, and both of them were born here at Brookings Health System. 

Why did you choose Brookings Health System for delivery?

I chose Brookings because we've always lived in Brookings, and so it was close. And then we did Brookings for my older daughter and had a really good experience, so that's what we did with my son when he was born as well.

How was your care during pregnancy?

With Sarah, it was really easy. We had a very smooth pregnancy. With Matthew early on, we had a few scares on our ultrasounds. He had some abnormalities with the ultrasounds, where he was kind of attached to different structures that they weren't sure what it was. So they were afraid we might lose him at the end of the first trimester, and so we were watching him pretty closely, but then it ended up being okay. We talked to Maternal-Fetal Medicine in Sioux Falls, and they looked at the images and gave us some reassurance that things ended up being fine. And so we were glad that everything went well and everything went smoothly, and it was good after we got through about the second trimester.

How did the staff support you during labor and delivery?

We really enjoyed that they kept asking us what we wanted, and they were really good about making sure that we had as much control in the situation as we could. Some things are outside of your control, but they were really good about always giving us options and making sure that we had everything we needed.

How did the staff respect you birth plan?

We were really grateful during our first pregnancy that they offered birthing classes, which talked about the different pain management techniques and different things to expect. And so we went into it knowing a little bit more of what to expect, especially with my husband. He's not medical, so they really taught us in a way that was easy for both of us to understand. And so we were really grateful that we kind of had a plan going in, and then they just kept asking us what we wanted to do, and our plan was very fluid. So we just kind of went with the flow, but they really were good about asking us what we wanted. And then we did want an epidural, but we wanted to wait until a little later in the labor process, so they just made sure to keep asking, like, you just let us know when you want it, and we'll make sure to make it happen as soon as you want it. And so they kept just turning it back to us and asking us what we wanted through the whole thing.

What birth equipment was provided for you during labor?

They were really good about providing us with a ball so that we could bounce on the ball and kind of help the labor progress that way. We also had a doula with our first pregnancy, and she taught us some good techniques about using sheets and different things to kind of pull and use kind of like a traction around my waist and different stuff just to help with pain management as we were waiting because we didn't want to do the epidural right away. And so we had really good luck with some of those different techniques.

How did the doula include your husband?

We weren't sure going into it if they would, you know, kind of get in the way or if they would really turn it over to him, and we were pleasantly surprised that the entire time they just coached him on how to help me and they didn't get in the way. They kept him very involved, and so he actually did all of the pain management things that they encouraged us to do, and he was very hands-on with it, and they just showed him what to do and had him help with that. And so we were very pleased that it wasn't like someone who was getting in the way. They were there to really help us and make sure that we were connected and that we were both very involved in the whole process.

How did the staff support your decision to breastfeed?

Brookings is very breastfeeding-friendly, and so right after delivery they keep the baby in the room with you. So Matthew was with us the whole time. He didn't ever go to the nursery, and so he was right there, and we started breastfeeding right away. And then the first couple weeks are the hardest, and so just getting him used to eating and me used to feeding him and everything like that. And so getting through those first couple weeks is tough, and it's tempting to just kind of walk away from it. But then when you go to Baby Café and different things, they really support you and encourage you.

How did the New Beginnings Baby Café support your choice to breastfeed?

We really like Baby Café. We come to Baby Café twice a week usually, and so that's really helped. We've been able to make some good connections with other ladies who are kind of in the same stage of their postpartum journey, and so we really like coming and making sure that Matthew's growing appropriately, and then connecting with other moms and talking about shared experiences and kind of venting about some of the things that happen in the middle of the night and those types of things. People don't really talk about how it can be so uncomfortable and how challenging it can be right away. But then after you get used to feeding them, they get used to eating, after those first couple weeks, it gets a lot easier.

What encouragement did you receive at Baby Café?

Having people to say, just keep going, it gets easier, and really encouraging you is really big. And then for us, for both of my kiddos, around three months they started needing a little extra food. And so, you know, it's easy to feel like you're not giving them enough if they need a little bit more than you can give them. And just being around other moms who are doing the same thing and other, like the lactation consultants and stuff who have been through the same thing and saying, "don't focus on what you're not giving them, focus on what you are, feed them as much as you can, and then if they need any extra, that's just fine too." And so just having that extra encouragement as well as we're supplementing and kind of doing both formula and breast milk together has been really helpful as well.

What advice would you give to expecting moms?

My advice would be to have a plan, but be ready to change your plan if needed and just, you know, have more of an idea of what you would like rather than like a solid, this is the way it's going to be, and then, you know, just kind of being more fluid in the process, knowing kind of what you want but still allowing for adaptations as it goes because it's, you never quite know what to expect even if you're prepared.

Why do you recommend delivery at Brookings Health System?

The staff here is really great. The nurses are really kind and they really make sure that you have everything you need. They try to keep you as in control as possible and really listen to your wants and your desires. We also really like the facility. You're able to be in the same room the whole time, so you deliver in the same room that you're in, and so it's really nice to just come and be in one room and have everything at the same place.

What did you appreciate most about delivering at Brookings Health System?

I really like that they just treated us as people and made sure that we felt comfortable the whole time, kept asking us if we needed anything or if there was anything they could do to make the process easier for us, and so we were just really pleased that, again, they just kept giving us control over as much as we could have control over in that situation.

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