Texas Children’s patients recently had the chance to learn more about hospital procedures during the annual Teddy Bear Clinic on The Auxiliary Bridge during Child Life Week.
You know when all the magazines, books and all your friends begin to tell you that the second trimester of your pregnancy will be this euphoric honeymoon filled with bunnies and sunshine? You’ll gain all your energy back, you’ll glow with perfect skin and shiny hair, you’ll basically be able to take on the world and find the solution for world peace… You know what I think? I think they have all conspired against me (and the rest of the pregnant population) and are partially lying.
Yes, I gained some energy back – but instead of reorganizing furniture, cleaning my gutters, hand washing my car in the front drive or crocheting a blanket – I took all those 4 extra minutes of energy and spent them eating everything in my kitchen. Literally, everything. You know you’ve hit a low in your adult life when your husband catches you eating a grilled cheese in the bathtub late at night. I was caught, like a deer in headlights, enjoying the ooey-gooey-cheesy goodness (in PEACE!) when he “thought something was wrong” and busted in the bathroom like Hercules. No, nothing was wrong. It’s just me, your wife, sitting in the bubble-less tub, eating a golden crispy grilled cheese at 9:20 p.m. I figured I would rather get crumbs in the drainable tub and multi-task (I am becoming a mom right?) than waste any more precious time by having tub time pre or post grilled cheese. Men – then just don’t get it.
So besides eating everything in sight (HEB is still in business because of me) and also thinking about going over to the neighbor’s house to eat their food, since they have a teenage boy and I can assume their pantry is well stocked, one lovely pregnancy symptom decided to rear its annoying little head, headaches. I’m not prone to headaches, and now I can say with true humbleness – those who are headache sufferers, I don’t know how you manage. Anything I did gave me a headache! Reading, driving, cooking, thinking, feeding the dogs. I succumbed to my ailment and decided to pull one of the limited “Can you do this for me” cards I have during my pregnancy – and handed over my domestic duties to my husband. I literally would lie in bed for hours just thinking about what I could do, to make the ache behind my eyeballs go away. I am not a girl who enjoys taking medicine (crazy I work at TCH and all the doctors reading this are putting me on their black list), but my philosophy is: if you are vomiting or bleeding to death – then it’s OK to pop an Advil. I waddled over to our measly medicine cabinet, took out a Tylenol and a steak knife, and proceeded to cut the pill in half. My husband walked in, took one look at me with a steak knife and pill bottle, and briskly walked right out. When this brilliant idea didn’t do jack for my headache – I finally sent a message via the TCH-MyChart App to my OB nurse at the Pavilion, who is on Dr. Ivey’s team. She immediately called me and said “Wait Kelli, you actually cut the Tylenol pill in half? (I think I heard her and the rest of the third floor Pavilion laughing) “That’s really not going to do anything.” I was defeated by her giggles and the Tylenol bottle that was staring and mocking me. Finally, under her direction, I took a whole two Tylenol pills and whaa-laa, headache gone. Doctors are miracle workers! I secretly continued to say I was achy, so my sweet and doting husband would feed the dogs, and clean up the bathroom since there were grilled cheese crumbs pretty much everywhere. The moral of this story: headaches are terrible, food is awesome, but the TCH – Pavilion OB Staff is incredible and the MyChart App is a lifesaver! If you don’t have it, download it! My nurse replied to my cries for help, within minutes.
One thing I will say about the second trimester that is AMAZING, is feeling the first little kick. I was sitting in the parking lot, otherwise known as 610 at San Felipe, when I felt this teeny tiny flick. I immediately stopped singing Foreigner at the top of my lungs, and waited in silence for more flicks. About two more flicks happened, then little Baby Calderwood decided it had enough exercise for one day. It was truly amazing. I called my husband at work and was screaming on the phone like a little girl who sees Cinderella’s castle for the very first time up close and personal. Again, I think he is keeping a list of all my crazies so he has evidence when I say “I’ve never acted like that.” Anyway, it was a blessing and a miracle to feel those teeny tiny flicks. Ever since that day, Baby Calderwood has made it a habit to give me at least a few good kicks during the day.
In the last week my mind has been preoccupied with flowers, dresses and bows. We recently found out that Baby Calderwood is a GIRL! Of course my husband and I would be SUPER excited with any baby the stork wanted to bring us – but I think having a girl is really special. WE GET ANOTHER ME! (Just what my husband has always wanted.) My husband looked at me in the gender appointment, like he had just been hit with a Taser and said, “But the money – jewelry and weddings…… and boys.” I laughed pretty hard (at him, not with him) and told him to relax; we had some time before all that happened. He quickly snapped back with, “You didn’t know me as a little boy – we start flirting with the ladies early”….. So while Rico Suave comes up with a master plan of how to keep our beautiful baby girl out of the prowling eyes of toddler boys – I’ll keep awaiting her August arrival (and buying her bows and dresses!) Seven more weeks till the third trimester – then it’s game time!
Lastly, we decided to name our sweet baby girl, Amelia Grace Calderwood.
To read the first trimester experiences again, click here. Comment below and tell us what most shocked you about pregnancy!
On April 5, more than 3,000 Houston-area residents participated in the Texas Children’s Hospital and Houston Marathon Foundation Family Fun Run. The race, held at Texas Children’s Hospital West Campus, included non-competitive 1K and 3K races.
Following the race, families enjoyed the post-race Family Fun Zone, sponsored by H-E-B, which included food, refreshments, activities and games. This race, formerly known as the Kids’ Fun Run, has a rich history of more than 15 years. The event’s goal was to help educate and encourage Houston-area children and their families to adopt active, healthy lifestyles.
Fifty two nurses sat in a Pavilion conference room attentive and ready to hear from their leader. As Chief Nursing Office Lori Armstrong greeted each table of new RNs, you could feel the excitement and anticipation in the room for “lunches with Lori” which this month was a graduate nurse welcome lunch for this special group.
“You are the largest new graduate nurse class Texas Children’s has ever had,” said Armstrong.
The comment was met with applause by the RNs who graduated nursing schools in December. They were among hundreds who applied for the latest batch of nursing positions that have been added since Armstrong and her nursing leadership team launched the reinvention of nursing in November. Since then, 212 new RNs have been hired filling vacancies as well as new full time employee positions that were added to combat the staffing needs throughout the organization. These grads are among the best and brightest according to Armstrong. Each was required to not only graduate from nursing school, but have a 3.5 grade point average or higher, complete the application with two letters of recommendation as well as write mission and vision statements. The rigorous new requirements and hiring process are meant to determine not only if the nurses are the right fit for the organization, but if we’re the right fit for them.
“Our culture is one where we would do anything for our patients,” Armstrong told the excited crowd. “Your first job is a time you will never forget and I’m so happy you chose to be here for that.”
The group shared their own excitement in their new positions.
“I’ve been at a lot of companies at different levels and I’ve yet to see this level of satisfaction at every level from janitors to staff, nurses and doctors,” said Aaron Clay, RN.
“I started at a Texas Children’s Pediatrics office, moved to hospital as I entered nursing school and now I’m a nurse so that’s growth,” said Jeanette Costilla, RN.
For the nursing department, the new hires are just a small step toward the bigger picture of reinventing the role of nurses across the organization with hopes of attracting nurses from top nursing schools across the U.S. Growing the educated nursing population is not just a priority at Texas Children’s, but across the nation. Evidence shows nurses that have at least a Bachelor of Science in Nursing significantly impact morbidity rates and infection rates.
“I’m pregnant!” I thought to myself excitedly in December, but the excitement quickly dissipated when I flashed forward to the anxiety laden weeks ahead.
Pregnancy after a miscarriage is scary. Exciting, but scary. It’s filled with the unknowns and the “what ifs.” For me, finding out I was pregnant again, after many losses left me with a roller coaster of emotions. Each little ache and pain I had stirred a barrage of questions in my head. Adding to the anxiety was deciding on when to tell others, which felt like the most momentous decision ever. It’s not that you’re trying to hide anything; it’s just a self-protective measure. Why allow yourself and others to get excited, knowing what the outcome has been so many times before…right? My husband and I were to the point that we would just laugh and tell each other we’d see how long this one lasted. You realize you become desensitized to the whole situation and develop some odd ways of coping with the uncertainty. Unfortunately, pregnancy loss takes the innocence out of being pregnant.
Over the past year and a half, for mine and my family’s sake, I had to start placing less emphasis on my losses and more on what I do have in life. The last step for us was to seek some medical advice on what else could be causing our losses. So in the pursuit to find answers and make some decisions, my husband and I were presented with some fertility options that were too outside of our comfort zone. At that time we decided if we only had our son Dillon, he would be more of a blessing than we ever deserve. So I kept myself busy and resigned to the “que sera sera” mantra regarding the whole pregnancy thing. Well, wouldn’t you know, lo and behold, a whole week later, I found out I was pregnant! I told my husband New Year’s Day and so far 2014 has been good to us. With each ultrasound and flutter of movement I feel, I get more excited and more hopeful. I am now 17 weeks along and things are going great.
After my fist loss at 16 weeks, I was connected with the Woman’s Place at the Pavilion which offers assistance during reproductive loss and grief. After my subsequent losses at nine weeks and three at only five weeks, I was referred to the Maternal Fetal Medicine Department for further testing, where everything checked out ok. Along my journey to this pregnancy, I have had the best care from the Pavilion. From the Family Fertility Center, to the additional ultrasounds with the Maternal Fetal Medicine department, they have all helped put my mind at ease that much more. Knowing the care I need is literally around the corner is so comforting.
The reason I wanted to share my story was to try and offer hope to the many women out there whose stories are like mine and need some encouragement. I wanted to let these women know there is hope, and they should never feel ashamed, or feel like a failure for a pregnancy not going to term. It took me many months to figure this out and to start letting go of some of the guilt, sadness, anger, and heartbreak that are common after a miscarriage. My healing came through reading the stories of women online, or talking with coworkers who suffered miscarriages and know what pregnancy loss feels like. That it feels like the loss of hopes and dreams you’ve made for your baby, or the loss of a bond you formed the moment you knew you were going to be a mom. Please know time will make the pain easier but never make you forget, and that’s ok…why would you want to forget about your baby? Above all else, I wrote this post so women will know there is hope after loss…if they choose to keep their heart open to the possibility.
So how do you handle being pregnant again after a loss? For me, it’s getting through one day and one milestone at a time. Surpassing the time of my first miscarriage was the biggest challenge of all, and now that I have, I can take a deep breath and enjoy this pregnancy. I think about how differently this pregnancy feels, and try to focus on that. I don’t know what the future holds, but I know worrying all the time won’t help my little one. So therefore, I choose to accept each day with this baby as a gift; a very special gift that has the ability to make the heartache less and less, and make my heart fill abundantly with joy being it’s mommy.
Rhea HoSang Celestin is a staff nurse in the Clinical Care Center.
The annual Doctors’ Day celebration took place during a luncheon honoring the hard work of our physicians. The event was attended by doctors and members of the leadership team who stopped by to say thank you.
Nine years ago, I was sitting in a meeting with the St. Luke’s CEO when I learned that they were looking to get out of obstetrics and gynecology and maternal fetal medicine. I raised my hand and let them know we were interested to take over. I knew we were about to do something that would change women’s health care in Houston forever. Texas Children’s would assume responsibility for St. Luke’s ob/gyn and MFM services until we were able to build our own facility.
Texas Children’s Pavilion for Women opened its doors for inpatient services on March 26, 2012. It was a monumental day for everyone who had been a part of planning and executing this new state-of-the-art hospital. I knew it would make a difference in the lives of countless women. What I didn’t know then was that I would one day have a personal experience at the Pavilion as a family member.
On February 10, 2014 at 6:29 p.m., Clark Wallace was born at Texas Children’s Pavilion for Women. What a full circle moment. From the day I raised my hand in that meeting with St. Luke’s, to my own grandbaby being born here, it was surreal. This was a very special and exciting experience from a number of different perspectives.
First, it was our son Ben’s first baby. Emily, our daughter, has four sons and one daughter, but they live in Chicago, so this was also our first Texas-born grandbaby. Of course it was also impressive to experience the Pavilion as a grandparent and to be here for such a special moment in my personal life.
My wife, Shannon, and I patiently waited at home to get the news of Clark’s arrival and came to the hospital the following morning to meet the newest grandbaby. To see our Pavilion team in action – from Dr. Belfort to everyone in the delivery suite, the floor nurses, diagnostic and therapeutic services, radiology and pathology, food and nutrition – was incredible. To see it all come together in such a beautiful way and know that it wasn’t just for Clark Wallace but that it’s what all our patients are experiencing was a proud moment for me, both as President and CEO and as a grandfather.
I knew we had the right vision for this new hospital and for the thousands of babies born here every year, including my grandson. I have great pride in knowing that our grandson and daughter-in-law had the very best care. Seeing that care firsthand as member of a patient’s family and knowing it’s the same care every mother and baby receives here was truly an incredible feeling.
Now it might be hard to believe, but I promise I saw Clark smile as soon as he saw me and I might have even heard him say “TCH.” He looked exactly like Ben did when he was born, a really good looking fella with a big head and fat cheeks.
Watching the team at work from a patient family perspective and seeing the quality of care and service – from valet to the delivery room and room service – made me swell with pride for what we’ve created at the Pavilion for Women. It’s one of a kind, and there’s nothing like it in Texas, the U.S. or the world.