“The Bump Watch blog was such a great sense of community for new moms and a great forum to come together to share ideas and experiences,” said Texas Children’s employee Emily Klein, who delivered her daughter, Audrey, two days after Texas Children’s Pavilion for Women opened five years ago.
Launched by the Corporate Communications team in March 2012, the Bump Watch blog was designed to educate employees about the wonderful Ob/GYN services, programs and amenities offered at the Pavilion for Women while generating excitement for the opening of the new hospital dedicated to the care of women and babies.
As we celebrate Bump Watch and the Pavilion for Women turning five on March 26, we revisited three of our Bump Watch families – the Clarks, the McDades and the Kleins – to see just how big their babies have grown since we first met them.
“I think the best thing about participating in the Bump Watch blog was the documentation of my first pregnancy,” said Erin McDade, whose son Aiden is now 5 years old and a big brother to his sister who was born at the Pavilion for Women two years ago. “To have photos of my pregnancy and the video of the ultrasound, these memories were unique and very special.”
Besides promoting the services at the Pavilion for Women, the Bump Watch blog was also a great employee engagement tool across the organization. Readers, commenters and bloggers embraced the blog as a place to share their baby’s first milestones, first birthdays and surprise announcements including their experiences delivering their newborns at the Pavilion for Women. Employees shared their pregnancy challenges and offered advice for new and expectant parents.
In the blog’s first three months, Bump Watch generated more than 100,000 views and over 560,000 views until its bittersweet farewell in September 2015.