As chief of staff to her father, City of Arlington Mayor Jeff Williams, Suzanne Taylor is accustomed to planning down to the minute. Yet with the birth of her second child, son Wade born in April, she made it to Medical City Arlington's new Women's Hospital with just moments to spare.
"My water broke in the car!" Suzanne said. "The first baby takes forever, so we didn't rush. I knew labor was progressing but I didn't know how fast. My husband, Brandon, texted Brandi, my labor and delivery nurse, that we were coming and when we pulled up they were waiting."
Change of (birth) plans.
Suzanne had originally planned to deliver at another Arlington hospital—the same hospital where her 2-year-old daughter Kate was born. But her trusted obstetrician chose to move his services to Medical City Arlington. Suzanne was quickly convinced it was the place for her growing family.
"I was nervous because I didn't know much about Medical City Arlington and the new women's hospital," Suzanne said. "Then we met Brandi, who became our concierge, host, knowledge bank, you name it. She gave us a tour and showed us all the amenities that the hospital offered. The facilities are second to none!"
And, she got to experience the facility sooner than planned when she went into labor before her due date.
"With my last-minute delivery, my doctor didn't make it," Suzanne said. "The OB on call delivered Wade. I had never met him but he was Johnny-on-the-spot. I asked for medication and he said 'all I need is two pushes and you'll have a baby.' He was right!"
An extra level of specialized care.
Brandi and the nursing staff also left a lasting impression on Suzanne.
"My mom and husband were in the delivery room," Suzanne said. "My dad was at a meeting! My whole family showed up sometime after that and the staff was absolutely wonderful and accommodated us to have that family moment but were also conscious of my health and Wade's health. I communicated to Brandi that I would like to keep some modesty and they were very respectful and asked who I wanted to stay and who should leave."
"There are separate nurses for mom and baby and it was amazing having that extra level of specialized care we hadn't had before," she said. "We got to have skin-to-skin contact with Wade that we didn't get to have with Kate. It was a dream come true to have that sweet moment."
Suite dreams.
The Taylor's postpartum experience was just as memorable.
"Our suite was ideal for us," Suzanne said. "It was also a dream! It allowed for plenty of visitors and privacy and bonding time for me and Wade. The staff was wonderful and the room was so clean and nice."
"The nurses and staff were incredible ... sweet and informative and there were never any surprises. The first night, Wade was quite fussy, so they came in and tried lots of things, like swaddling. They said 'we're going to figure out Wade.'"
"For our celebratory gourmet meal, we had no visitors and Wade was off being bathed, so it was just Brandon and me for a moment ... it was great! I had chicken and Brandon had steak and it was delicious. All the meals were awesome—the food was always really good and the service was excellent."
Breastfeeding support.
Suzanne also appreciated the breastfeeding support she received.
"My previous experience with a lactation consultant was, if you wanted one you could call them, but at Medical City Arlington, they were always there and checking in," Suzanne said. "With Kate, I nursed her for a full year and felt I knew what I was doing, but as you know each child is different. Medical City Arlington's consultant gave me some great tips and brought lanolin cream and some other things that helped. I liked the fact that they were always available because I needed the help. I appreciated that they took my preferences into account and let me steer. I was appreciative that they spoke to me as if we were a team and not like they were just dictating to me what they wanted me to do."
Security and privacy.
All of Wade's testing and medical procedures—such as the hearing test, etc., were all done in the Taylors' suite, but off to the side for privacy.
"They had a hospital quiet time but they left it up to us," Suzanne said. "We could choose and tell them if we wanted people to leave. I was very grateful for that. They were really respectful of our choices and asked us ahead of time what we wanted to do. Quite honestly, having the suite, I felt like we could have privacy and guests at the same time. It was really not an issue at all."
"Wade only went to the nursery for a bath and a shot and that was all, but both times they were so thorough in making sure they had all the bands on— bracelets that had to play a song and match—and everything was secure."
"We had such a great experience at Medical City Arlington. What an asset to the city of Arlington!"
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