The McMullens receive exemplary care in Special Care Nursery

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Awaiting the birth of a baby is an exciting, yet anxious time for many new families. But having a capable and well-equipped healthcare facility in your community that specializes in the care of both mother and baby certainly helps to reduce some of the concerns surrounding the arrival of a newborn.

Grateful Patients - The McMullan Family — From left: Grateful patient Brianne McMullen and Dr. Cindy Sorge with Brianne’s twin boys Anderson, left, and Blake.

Expectant parents, Matt and Brianne McMullen, were pregnant with twin boys due in late November 2016. Her pregnancy had been textbook up to this point, so when Brianne was out shopping earlier in the month and felt pains in her abdomen, she dismissed the idea that it could be premature labour. At the time, Brianne was 36 weeks into her pregnancy, two weeks short of a full term pregnancy for twins.

Brianne’s abdominal pain continued into mid-afternoon, so her husband Matt drove her to the Brantford General where she was admitted to the Family Birthing Centre.

The 19,000 square foot facility is located on the third floor at the Brantford General site and includes a 5-room birthing centre with labour and delivery suites, a 15-bed post-partum unit and an expanded Special Care Nursery that can accommodate any babies weighing three pounds or more and any babies greater than 32 weeks gestation. Private rooms enable mothers and their partners to remain with their new baby in the same room for the entire length of their stay.

The Special Care Nursery’s reputation and specialist facilities are what drew the McMullens to choose Brant Community Healthcare System for their childbirth.

“I was confident that if the twins were small, the Special Care Nursery would be able to care for them,” said Brianne.

The Brantford General sees an average of 1,600 deliveries each year, and the new Family Birthing Centre ensures each of the births has the supports in place to ensure high quality, family-centred care.

Matt and Brianne were registered with the Family Birthing Centre and were settled into their private room to await the arrival of their babies under the care of obstetrician and gynaecologist Dr. Cindy Sorge.

“The nurses in labour and delivery were all fantastic,” she said.

Because labour had started a little sooner than expected, the McMullens were given the option of staying in the hospital on bed rest to give the babies time to develop further in-utero, or have a caesarean section. Brianne’s body had already begun the preparations for childbirth, and since both babies were in a breech position, the couple decided they would proceed with a C-section.

“I wanted two brothers,” said the couple’s six-year-old son, Ethan.

And that’s what he got. The first to be born on Nov. 5 was Anderson, and then Blake.

Brianne said the difference between a single birth and a twin birth was like night and day, and she was grateful for the patient staff who helped her to learn how to do everything for two babies at the same time.

“The care we received was great and it was a big help to have staff there to advise and assist us,” said husband Matt.

“I felt reassured because nursing staff were constantly in our room checking on the twins,” said Brianne. “I took advantage of the staff in the Special Care Nursery because they were so good.”

As Brianne, Matt and their family experienced first hand, when a healthcare event or illness impacts you or a loved one, the Brant Community Healthcare System is here to offer you exceptional healthcare in your time of need. Now is the time to make a difference, please consider making a gift TODAY that is meaningful to you, and support a strong healthcare system for our community.

Your involvement, through a donation of any size, will allow the BCHS Foundation to purchase patient equipment not funded by the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, provide essential resources to maintain the exceptional level of compassionate patient care, and invest in new and innovative technology.

To make a donation, visit the BCHS Foundation website at bchsysfoundation.org or call 519-751-5510.

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For more information on how you can make a donation or offer your support to the 12 Days of Giving campaign, please contact the BCHS Foundation at 519-751-5510 or by email at foundation@bchsys.org

NOW is the time to make a difference, please consider making a gift today that is meaningful to you, and support a strong healthcare system for our community.

Thank you to our many generous sponsors!

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