Tell Us Your Baby Story

Winner #1
As a woman struggling with infertility for seven years Rebecca of Locust Grove never gave up on her dream to be a mom. Today, she is the happy mother of three beautiful little girls; Emma, Georgia, and Vivian.
Daughters Georgia and Vivian were born at Henry Medical Center. Rebecca underwent fertility treatment. In December 2007, Rebecca and her husband welcomed their second daughter Georgia. The couple decided that the two girls, Emma and Georgia, completed their family. However, 10 months later and with no fertility treatments, Rebecca discovered she was 12-weeks pregnant.
The shock quickly gave way to concern. Rebecca came to Henry Medical Center with intense back pain. She feared she had a kidney stone. Since Rebecca was pregnant diagnosis was tricky. She was unable to have an x-ray or CT scan. A urologist diagnosed Rebecca with blockage of the right kidney. Rebecca was forced to have a stent placed from her kidney to her bladder to fight infection until she could be fully treated after her baby was born. Rebecca would have her stent replaced two times over the course of the next seven months. She would see her OB/GYN, Dr. Ramani, frequently to ensure she was free of infection in her kidney and that her baby was doing well.
As Rebecca grew during the pregnancy the pain from her kidney condition became almost unbearable at times. To complicate matters further, Rebecca suffered from pneumonia late in her pregnancy. At 37 weeks, Dr. Ramani scheduled an induction. The delivery progressed slowly at first, but then sped up quickly. Dr. Ramani arrived just in time. Baby Vivian was born in April. Nine days later Rebecca had her stent removed and within 24 hours she felt like her self again.

Winner #2
Shirley of Jackson knew what to expect when she learned she was pregnant with her seventh child. But, this time around, things would be a little different. Shirley discovered her oldest daughter, Angie, was expecting as well. This would be a family affair.
Shirley and Angie chose the same doctor to care for them during their pregnancies and to deliver the babies. As their pregnancies grew further along, mom and daughter enjoyed shopping together and hearing people ask “are you two sisters?”
The two women’s due dates were within a week of one another. One night in January 1983, Shirley was up with labor pains for hours before deciding to wake-up her husband at 4 a.m. to tell him they needed to go to Henry Medical Center. While they prepared to leave the phone rang. It was Angie’s husband. Angie was in labor and they needed to bring their two-year-old son over before they headed for Henry Medical Center. Shirley had to convince her son-in-law that she was not teasing. She too was in labor.
The two women arrived at Henry Medical Center within an hour of each other. Shortly after 8 a.m. Angie delivered a baby girl, Leah. Two hours later Shirley and her husband welcomed a son, Benjamin. The two babies were placed in the nursery with signs declaring them Uncle Ben and Niece Leah.

Additional Stories
Gale of Stockbridge remembers well the opening of Henry Medical Center in July 1979. She was pregnant with her first child and there was much talk around the county about who would be the first to deliver a baby at the new hospital.
Gale delivered her daughter, Heather, in September 1979 making her the eleventh baby born at Henry Medical Center. At the time the hospital’s Labor & Delivery unit was not staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week. To ensure Gale was taken care of during her labor, staff stayed past their scheduled work time to await the arrival of the next shift of nurses. Gale recalls her time at Henry Medical Center as a very special time. Her new daughter was the only baby delivered during her stay so she and Heather received lots of wonderful attention.
A second daughter came along six years later. Gale returned to Henry Medical Center where her labor did not progress as quickly as the doctor had hoped it would. Gale was given medication to speed things up. And, that’s exactly what happened. The nurse came to check on Gale and with no time to get the doctor, Nurse Ann delivered Gale’s baby girl. Gale was so thankful to her nurse that she named her daughter Katie Ann.

Gina was told at 15-years-old she would not be able to have children following a diagnosis of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). PCOS is a condition that can affect a woman’s menstrual cycle.
Doctor after doctor echoed the sentiment that Gina would not be able to conceive a child with her husband of 16 years. Then Gina visited Dr. Schilling. Gina says he is the first doctor who explained to her how PCOS affects your weight and how weight can affect so many things, including fertility. Gina also was comforted by Dr. Schilling’s kindness in telling her that PCOS was not her faul… something she had always believed.
Accepting she would never have children, Gina decided she did want to be a healthier person and lower her blood pressure. Over the course of several years, Gina lost 65 pounds. She was back in Dr. Schilling’s office soon after looking for answers as to why she was feeling so sick and having a “very irregular cycle.” Gina received an unexpected response. She was pregnant.
Gina and her husband arrived at Henry Medical Center in March 2009 to deliver the baby they thought they would never have. Dr. Schilling determined Gina needed a c-section. Gina says every one “sprang to action, held my hand, calmed my fears and within minutes, our precious little girl was here!”

It took five medical procedures before Kimberly and her husband’s 12 year struggle with infertility came to an end. Kimberly’s pregnancy ran a week past her due date before her doctor decided to induce labor in July 2006. Following 26 hours of labor, baby Jessica was born by c-section.
Kimberly and her husband soon discovered they would be parents again. This time they had conceived without any medical help. They were elated by this miracle. Again, the Peachtree City couple made the journey to Henry Medical Center where Kimberly would deliver a son, Kyle, in November 2007.

McDonough mom Melissa and her husband were thrilled to learn they were expecting baby #2. They attended a sibling class at Henry Medical Center with their son Myles.
Melissa arrived at the hospital early one morning in April 2008 for a scheduled c-section. During pre-op Melissa’s nurses guessed at how much her baby boy would weigh. The nurses held her hands while she was given an epidural. Melissa remembers “feeling worried that my anesthesiologist was a young man who might not be excited about working with a pregnant woman who was very teary eyed.” She was quickly comforted by how warm and concerned he was about her. The anesthesiologist talked Melissa through every thing until her husband could join her in the operating room.
Melissa and her husband were overwhelmed with emotion when a “healthy, chubby” baby Landon entered the world. They were especially touched by the patience the staff at HMC showed towards their “very grumpy” 3-year-old Myles who was unsure about becoming a big brother.

“Are you sure you didn’t just wet your pants?” That was the response Rachel of Stockbridge got from her mother when she called to tell her she was in labor and on the way to Henry Medical Center.
Rachel and her husband had gone to a friend’s house to pick up a bassinet. On the way to the friend’s house Rachel had felt a “slight pop” in her stomach. She thought this was the baby’s way of letting her know she did not like the seatbelt across her head. So on they drove to the friend’s house. A short time later Rachel mentioned to her friend that she thought her water might have broken. Rachel phoned her doctor who told her to go straight to the hospital.
With a towel to sit on and a slightly “freaked” out husband, Rachel was off to Henry Medical Center. As she navigated directions to the hospital to her husband, Rachel who is a teacher worried that she had not prepared any lesson plans for a substitute. This would soon become the furthest thing from her mind.
Once at Henry Medical Center, Rachel was placed on medication because her blood pressure was high. She was encouraged to relax. Rachel was just 35 weeks pregnant. Despite efforts, the contractions did not stop. Rachel was prepped to deliver her baby girl. Six hours after her water broke little Ava was born at a healthy 5 pounds 6 ounces. Rachel and her family are all “thankful to the wonderful, caring and competent staff at Henry Medical Center for making what was and unexpected emergency a wonderful experience!”

Nearly 29 years ago Sally delivered the first set of twins at Henry Medical Center. In June 1980 Sally gave birth to a boy named Stanley and a girl named Sarah.
In December 2008, Sarah, now living in Locust Grove, returned to Henry Medical Center with her husband to deliver a son, Bennett. A few months earlier Sarah’s twin brother and his wife had welcomed their baby girl, Katherine.

Choosing to have co-workers deliver your baby is exactly what Stephanie did when she decided to have her baby at Henry Medical Center. Stephanie’s first daughter, Ella, was born 11 weeks early weighing only 2 pounds 4 ounces. Ella was rushed to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) while Stephanie was treated for complications that prevented her from visiting her daughter. A NICU nurse took a picture of Ella and taped it to Stephanie’s bedside.
Eight weeks would pass before Ella would join her family at home.
The very next year Stephanie returned to Henry Medical Center to give birth to a second daughter, Annie. The McDonough mother and doctor says she is “very pleased to deliver at my local hospital and frequently recommends Henry to patients and friends.”

At 38 weeks pregnant with her first son, Tennille had a feeling “something just wasn’t right.” In November 2008, Baby Levi was born in respiratory failure. He was quickly taken to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Henry Medical Center. Baby Levi would spend the next 14 days undergoing a blood transfusion, fighting off an infection, learning how to eat on his own and, most importantly, breathing on his own.
Tennille a resident of Locust Grove did not know the level of care Henry Medical Center offers to its newborns until her baby boy needed the support and expertise provided by the NICU staff.