Safety net
for rural communities An ordinary trip to visit her dad and stepmom last spring was anything but routine for April Bircheat, 24. April Bircheat with Jax and her two other children.
The Charles City woman was a long way from home and 34 weeks pregnant. It was supposed to be a quick trip to check out a minivan. “I had been having Braxton Hicks contractions,” said Bircheat. “I had them for some time but during my visit they were more intense. My stepmom suggested I go to Guttenberg Municipal Hospital. When I checked into the hospital it was determined I was in labor.” “April’s condition was a little more concerning because this wasn’t her first baby,” said Nathan Shaw, MD, Cornerstone Family Practice in Guttenberg. “Labor generally progresses more quickly for women who’ve already given birth and it’s impossible to predict what will happen.”
Cornerstone Family Practice doctors follow low-risk obstetric patients and prefer to deliver full term babies, between 37 to 42 weeks gestation (40 weeks is full-term) at Guttenberg Municipal Hospital. Premature infants have greater potential to require specialized care after birth and are often delivered at a hospital with a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). “April was 34 weeks pregnant and progressing quickly so we made the call to transfer her to Finley Hospital in Dubuque because they have a NICU,” said Dr. Shaw. “Even though it is rare for the doctor to ride along in the ambulance, I decided this was a case where it would be warranted. If we had to deliver the baby in enroute I knew the paramedic and nurse would appreciate an extra set of hands. There would then be two patients to care for and a premature infant may require more advanced medical care.”
HOSPITAL PARTNERSHIPS “We work with Guttenberg quite a bit,” said Rebecca Richardson, Finley Family Birthing Suites director. “We are happy to take patient referrals and provide staff education support. We are currently working to establish a neonatal nurse practitioner program. These providers will care for babies in our NICU and our newborn nursery around the clock. These nurse practitioners will have support from the Dubuque pediatricians as well as St. Luke’s neonatology team in Cedar Rapids.” “Everything went well and my daughter Jax, was in the NICU for three days to monitor some respiratory issues,” said Bircheat. Today Jax is growing like a weed, gaining weight and on track developmentally.
To learn more about delivering at a UnityPoint Health Hospital, schedule your tour at unitypoint.org or call: Cedar Rapids: (319) 369-8129 | Dubuque: (563) 589-2406 | Waterloo: (319) 235-3620 To contact Guttenberg Municipal Hospital call (563) 252-1121.
Health Beat | Summer 2015 | 11