Carrying to Term
Hall of Fame
These are the professionals who treated
us well.
They honored our decisions. They
smoothed the way for us. They took extra care. They valued our
babies equally with every healthy baby. They respected our grief
and admired us for our parental love. This is our way of saying
thank you for a job well done.
The Certified Nurse-Midwives of
Dartmouth-Hitchcock Clinic: Karen Murphy, Susan Riley, Cindy
Coughlin, Lucy White, Nancy LePort. Nashua, New Hampshire. I
can't say enough about these women's kindness, compassion, and
knowledge. I've been hugged by them all, something I can't say
for any doctor whose patient I've been.
Valerie H. Hani, M.Sc., Certified
Genetic Counselor at the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in
Hanover, New Hampshire. A genetic counselor who respected
our decision to go to term and did not try to pressure us. She
even let us email her questions afterward.
Cathy Burson, Genetics
Counselor at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha,
Nebraska. She is conducting a study on genetics and anencephaly.
The doctors of Hartford OB/Gyn: Dr.
Neville Graham, Dr. Tracy Brennan, Dr. Patricia Fagan
Dr. Quinlan, in Hartford, Connecticut. For their unwavering,
whole-hearted support. They hugged me, they prayed for us, they
answered any question we had as best as they could, they went
the extra mile to meet our requests. They never questioned our
decisions, and they provided us with the information we needed
to make those decisions. Those weekly appointments to check for
a heartbeat were so hard - but I felt cared for and supported
whenever I went to see them.
Hartford Hospital
- the Labor and Delivery team, in Hartford, Connecticut.
So incredibly supportive and helpful. Ditto for the nursing
staff in the Women's Wing on the 8th floor where I spent my recovery
time after my daughter had died. They cried with us, they helped
us do mementos, they read and responded to our wish list wholeheartedly.
Dr. David Jones, Maternal-Fetal
Medicine, Dept. of OB/Gyn, Yale University School of Medicine,
New Haven, Connecticut. For his determination in getting us
the answers that we needed - working very hard to inject my uterus
with fluid so we could clearly see Brianna and know for sure
that she did not have kidneys. And for sharing in our sorrow
when our worst fears were realized.
Dr. Falzone at St.
Elizabeth's hospital in brighton, Mssachusetts. GREAT doctor.
She even attended the baby memorial for us. She wasn't sure if
we were going to be able to make it with the drive and all. She
has called me at home several times and is WONDERFUL! She set
up Saturday and Sunday hours just for us because she knew we
had a 2 1/2 hour drive and it was hard to get there for the appointments.
GREAT CATHOLIC DOCTOR!
Dr. Marianne Ude, from
Port Angeles, Washington. An extremely kind, empathetic, and
compassionate physician. She allowed me to call her at home when
I needed to, she came to Loren's funeral, she knitted him a cap.
With our subsequent pregnancy, she provided understanding and
thorough care. She made a knit cap for Claire as well, and did
a house call without charge when Claire was born to give her
her newborn exam, etc. She worked closely with me on post-partum
depression issues also.
Carol Gautschi, CPM, Sequim,
Washington. A midwife who has become a dear friend, Carol
has attended my past three pregnancies and births. She drove
me to Seattle when I was in pre-term labor with Loren; she held
my hand during the exams and tests, she cried with me when the
ultrasound showed anencephaly. She read the Prayers of the Faithful
at Loren's funeral liturgy and allowed me MANY visits with my
subsequent pregnancy to ease my fears. She prayed with me when
doubts threatened, she supported my decisions fully. A wonderful
caregiver and dear, dear friend.
Dr Beyerlein, Eugene,
Oregon. He was and is very supportive from the first day that
the ultrasound was done through everything that was done after.
He didn't push me to terminate and respected my decisions to
carry to term. When I did go into labor, I had his pager number
and home number to call when the time came. He is a wonderful
doctor.
Dr. Jackson, Billings,
Montana. http://www.montanapregnancy.com/home.htm
He was the perinatologist that took care of me and Amanda.
He helped me fight the insurance to continue to have ultrasounds
done when they believed that why do more when its not going to
change anything. He was also there when Amanda was born helping
Dr. Beyerlein. He also never pushed me to terminate and respected
my decision to carry to term. His genetic counselor Leslie was
there for me whenever I needed to talk. She spent hours with
me and helped me with anything I needed to talk about. Also Dr.
Jackson did ultrasounds for me whenever I needed to have one
done. The last two months of my pregnancy I think an ultrasound
was done every week. I have a lot of pictures of Amanda before
and after she was born. They also got me in touch with another
mom who is one of my best friends now.
Hospice of the Western
Reserve, Cleveland, Ohio, http://www.hospicewr.org
We started with their services during the pregnancy. We had
a pediatric nurse for Angela and a social worker for my two older
daughters. The social worker and the pediatric nurse were both
at the hospital during labor and delivery.
Busch Family Funeral Chapels,
serving Northeast Ohio http://www.buschfuneral.com
Very caring and compassionate funeral home. They carried out
all our requests and more. They never pushed sales or services
that we didn't want. More than just a funeral home. They can
also provide support groups, bereavement counseling and other
services for all ages . We still recieve bereavement newsletters,
8+ months after our baby's death. Information provided in memory
of Angela Hope ~ stillborn 5-31-00.
When I told my doctor that I was
going to carry the baby, and she knew I was truly serious, she
told me she thought I was doing the right thing. She has cried
with me on several occassions and has put it on my chart to be
paged if I go into labor even if she is not on call. She said
if she's in town she will be there! She has made her office schedule
my OB appointments first thing in the morning so I won't get
stuck in a waiting room with all the moms and their new babies
(trying to help me avoid any public melt-downs). She called me
several times after we got the diagnosis just to see how I was
doing. I wish everyone could have this kind of support from their
physician.
Dr. Steven Abbey and Dr. Donald
Jones, Ormand Center For Women, Monroe, North Carolina. Two
wonderful doctors and absolutely terrific men who realized that
my son deserved the same treatment and respect as any other unborn
baby.
Dr. Aliya Khan, La
Mesa, CA. I would like to include my current OB/GYN even though
she wasn't the one seeing me through Jasmine's pregnancy and
delivery. But she is wonderful. I saw her last week for my prenatal
checkup and we were talking about how I carried Jasmine to term,
and she said that she does not agree with termination due to
defects. That she believes that God gives us our children for
a reason and that Jasmine was a gift to us. That she feels that
Sierra and this new baby are rewards from God for us carrying
to term. I have found her very comforting and obviously prolife.
I also had a friend who miscarried while under her care and found
her very compassionate.
Dr. Sheila Hill of Haislet,
Hill, Wavrin, Wright and Lehrman, Minneapolis, MN as well
as Rosie Bauer, RN and the team of caregivers at Abbott Northwestern
Hospital's WomenCare unit. Dr. Hill honored our decision to
carry our son to term. She called him by name and treated our
visits with joy. She rejoiced with us when Eli hit milestones,
and as he continued to live. She was with us when he was born
and held him after he died. She is truly a treasure and is more
than a physician: she is a friend. What a wonderful ministry
she has through her care.
Women's and Children's
Hospital, Lafayette, LA. Dr. Rachelle Meaux, nurses
Margaret, Lisa, Jonnie and Diana. We can't say enough
to thank Dr. Meaux and the staff at Women's and
Children's Hospital. They shared in our joy and our sorrow at
the birth and loss of our sweet daughter. They are models of
both professionalism and empathy. They allowed us to make requests
and they met all of our needs. From a private waiting room for
family and friends to the tears they shed with us at our baby
dedication service, they went beyond my expectations in every
way.
Women's Foothill Clinic,
Dr. McArthur, Hill OB/GYN and Alesia Carlson CNM, Wheatridge
Colorado, Lutheran Medical Center: the staff and the many
numerous caring nurses who cared for me in Labor and Delivery
Unit. For the chaplain (first name Bill) who prayed with
us during the hard times of delivery. They were excellent in
their services to make me as comfortable from fear and pain and
supportive not only physically but spiritually.
Marie Dazey, CNM at Southern
Ob/Gyn was absolutely supportive of our decision to carry
Addison Olivia to term. She supplied answers to all the
medical questions I had but more importantly, she gave me the
shoulder to cry on that I needed every time she saw me.
Having suffered losses herself, she could totally empathize with
our experience and reached out to hug me even when I didn't know
I needed one- her hugs felt great every time. Trenda
and Kathy, nurses in labor & delivery at South Georgia Medical
Center, were also excellent and went above and beyond
the call of duty. Trenda stayed 4 hours after her shift
was over to help us get footprints, bathe Addison, and take picture
after picture. We are forever grateful for these angels
God gave us on earth! Thank you ladies We would have been
lost without you!
Dr. Fletcher Wilson of Monadnock OB-GYN
in Peterborough, NH. Words cannot express how caring and
compassionate this doctor is. He had me make my apppointments
with him near the end of my pregnancy as he knew my situation
best for continuity of care. He called me at home and sent a
card after my baby died. At my 6week checkup we talked for an
hour and so I had to reschedule the exam part of the visit!
He told me to make it the last appointment of the day so we
could "talk" some more.
Michele Branch, Genetic Counselor
at Dartmouth Hitchcock, Nashua, NH. She is such a sweet
caring person. As I've told her she is perfect for the job. Kept
in touch throughout my pregnancy and after. Just the person you'd
want to gently break the news to you that something is wrong
with the baby you are carrying.
