Katie’s water births went swimmingly One by land, two by sea

Having already delivered two healthy babies – one in a hospital bed and one in a water birth pool – Katie Hollatz of Hutchinson knew exactly what she wanted for her third birth.

True to her plan, when son Landon arrived on Aug. 1, 2016, at Glencoe Regional Health Services (GRHS), he emerged from the birth canal into a pool of warm water. Nurse midwife Laurel McKeever, RN, CNM, gently guided Landon to the surface to take his first breath – untangling the umbilical cord from his neck as she did so – and placed him in his mother’s waiting arms. Katie’s husband Ben was at

Choosing water birth

Three years earlier, Katie delivered her first baby in a Twin Cities hospital bed.

“My goal had been to go as far as I could without medication, but I ended up with an epidural,” Katie recalls. Once Katie was numbed, her baby unexpectedly went into distress and his heart rate dropped. The attending physician used vacuum equipment to deliver Luke quickly. “It wasn’t horrible, but I was disappointed that I couldn’t hold him right away,” Katie says. Unforeseen events can happen during any labor and delivery, but Katie’s experience prompted her to seek a gentler alternative when she was expecting her second child. By then, the Hollatz family had moved from Lakeville to Hutchinson and learned about water birth at GRHS. Their second son, Logan, was born in a water birth pool at GRHS, just like third son Landon.

Water births making waves

Patients who are interested in giving birth in water should talk to their GRHS obstetrics provider well in advance of their due date to determine if they are a good candidate for water birth and discuss which provider might attend the delivery. Not all pregnancies will meet the safety criteria for water birth. For example, the pregnancy must have been at least 37 weeks in duration with no history of infection or abnormal prenatal blood test results. The baby must be in a head-down position with a normal heart rate. Other criteria may apply and will be explained by the patient’s obstetrics provider.

It’s not safe to receive most types of pain medicine while laboring in water, so women who know they want pain medication should not choose water birth. If a woman decides after starting her labor in water that she wants an epidural or intravenous pain medicine, she can exit the tub or water birth pool to receive it, but then she will give birth outside the pool.

If you’ve visited our Glencoe campus in recent months, you know we’ve embarked on another major construction project. The latest effort is a complete renovation of the first floor of the hospital to create more efficient workspaces for our providers and more comfort and privacy for our patients. Our construction crews took advantage of the unusually warm fall weather to work on exterior features and will focus on interiors during the snowy months ahead. We look forward to unveiling our new spaces next summer.

It’s the end of an era here at GRHS as our longtime friend and colleague, general surgeon John Bergseng, DO, FACOS, prepares to put down his scalpel for the last time at the end of December. He has been a devoted servant to the community since he first arrived in Glencoe back in 1982, and I have no doubt we will miss his steady presence for years to come. Please join us for a reception on Nov. 29 at the Glencoe City Center to celebrate Dr. Bergseng’s career, convey our gratitude for the many lives he’s touched, and wish him well in his retirement. I also invite you to visit grhsonline.org to add a personal note or memory to his retirement guestbook.

I’d like to close with a word of thanks for the GRHS staff and our volunteers, board members and patient advisory council members. Their skills, compassion and dedication to our patients, residents, tenants and community make me proud every day.

Holiday Hours

Care during the holidays

In observance of Thanksgiving, our clinics in Glencoe, Lester Prairie and Stewart will close at 2 pm on Wednesday, November 23 and re-open at 8 am on Friday, November 25.

Because Christmas and New Year’s Day fall on Sundays this year, our clinics will remain open for their regular Monday –Friday schedules throughout the holidays. Visit grhsonline.org/doctors-clinics for hours at each GRHS clinic location.

If you need medical care during hours when your clinic is closed, consider visiting our urgent care center. It’s open 8 am to 7:30 pm, 365 days a year, holidays included. Check in at the clinic entrance on our Glencoe campus.

Our emergency room and ambulance service are fully staffed and available to help you 24 hours a day, every day.

My Chart

Get connected with MyChart

Want to receive test results and schedule appointments online? You can, with MyChart.

Ask the receptionist or nurse to help you sign up at your next GRHS clinic appointment or hospital visit. You also may visit grhsonline.org/mychart to download a sign-up form.

For assistance, call MyChart Services toll free at 1-855-551-6555 from 8 am to 8 pm, Monday through Friday.

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Touching

Publisher: Glencoe Regional Health Services 1805 Hennepin Avenue North Glencoe, MN 55336

Managing Editor: Nancy Ellefson

Editorial Advisory Board:

Jon Braband

John Doidge

Jill Hatlestad

Patty Henderson

Kristine Knudten, MD

Laura Kuvaas

Julie Schmidt continued from page 1

Your ideas and opinions are important to us. Contact Nancy Ellefson at 320-864-7798 or nancy.ellefson@grhsonline.org with suggestions or comments.

The water birth experience

Water birth takes place entirely in the patient’s Best Beginnings Birth Center suite. The patient initially labors in a deep bathtub fitted with jets while an inflatable pool designed for water birth is set up in the room. When the time for pushing nears, the patient moves to the inflatable pool, which is wider and deeper to promote buoyancy and enable the patient to easily change positions while pushing.

Being immersed in warm water can bring a sense of calm and relaxation that reduces anxiety and pain. There are physical benefits as well. “Warm water promotes stretching of the soft tissues of the woman’s perineum so there is potential for less tearing and bleeding during delivery, and therefore a reduced need for stitches afterward,” says Laurel.

“I was apprehensive about handling the pain without an epidural,” Katie says, “but I wanted to feel in control of my birth.”

The midwives who attended Katie’s two water births coached her through the pain. “When I was struggling to breathe properly, they would say, ‘Breathe with me,’ or ‘Look at me,’ or just hold my hand,” Katie recalls.

After a water birth, the newborn is placed on the mother’s chest and covered with warm towels. The baby has skin-to-skin contact with the mother for as long as desired, even after the mother exits the pool and moves to a bed. Breastfeeding can begin anytime after the baby’s birth.

Empowerment and control

Katie was pleased with the experience and benefits of water birth, from the immediate skin-to-skin contact with her baby to how she felt afterward. “I had no tearing and less muscle soreness after delivery with the water births,” she says. The atmosphere in her room was soothing, too, with dimmed lights and the option for music and a diffuser with essential oils.

Women choose water birth for various reasons, Laurel says. “But afterwards, they feel empowered to have given birth without medication. I’ve never heard a woman say, ‘I wish I had not done that.’”

Watch a video about Katie’s experience at grhsonline.org/water-births