New mother recommends Penn State Health Hampden Medical Center
Labor and delivery are nothing new for third-time mom Kathryn Durham, but the birth of son Avery Sampson on Dec. 1 marked a milestone as she delivered the first baby born at Penn State Health Hampden Medical Center.
“My birth plan was kind of up in the air until it was decided I would be induced,” said the Newville resident who had her other two sons at Penn State Health Holy Spirit Medical Center. “I was terrified to deliver anywhere but Holy Spirit, but after having delivered at Hampden, I highly recommend it.”
Labor and delivery services transitioned on Dec. 1 from Holy Spirit Medical Center to the Women and Babies Center at Hampden Medical Center, which includes labor and delivery, antepartum and postpartum rooms and dedicated operating rooms for Cesarean deliveries. The special care and well-baby nursery at Hampden Medical Center also got its first nursery patient on Dec. 1, a baby who was transferred from Holy Spirit Medical Center.
Superior care, new mom says
To other expectant moms who are hesitant to change birth locations, Durham says, “There’s nothing to fear here. The postpartum care is the best I’ve ever received.”
The labor and delivery team at Hampden Medical Center’s Women and Babies Center were most attentive in helping her recover from an unusually fast labor that left her no time for pain medication, she said. Durham and Timothy Sampson welcomed their son at 9:30 p.m. Dec. 1, just 20 minutes after active labor began.
“They also helped me be able to function and get ready to take care of him in my room,” said Durham, who was quick to share her positive experience with an expectant friend who plans to deliver soon at Hampden Medical Center.
Avery’s star status as the first baby born at Hampden Medical Center will surely be a special part of the retelling of his birth story in the coming years, his mother said.
“I think it’s pretty cool, and I definitely had a wonderful experience at Hampden,” Durham said.
Dedicated, strategic services combined
“The dedicated Women and Babies Center provides all the care that growing West Shore families need in our labor and delivery unit and nursery,” said Jill Arnold, director of inpatient women’s and children’s services at Hampden Medical Center. “It’s an honor for us to be a part of these special moments for our friends and neighbors who are welcoming a baby.”
For moms or babies who need it, coordinated care between Hampden Medical Center and Penn State Health Children’s Hospital in Hershey will be readily available.
“The relocation of labor and delivery and neonatal care is part of Penn State Health’s two-hospital strategy on the West Shore to best utilize each hospital’s strengths,” said Don McKenna, regional president, Penn State Health Holy Spirit and Hampden medical centers.
Holy Spirit Medical Center will focus on services such as trauma, heart, stroke, neurosurgical and behavioral health care.
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