Kayla Broschard of Linwood knew becoming a mother someday wouldn’t be easy. She battled endometriosis and ovarian cysts that required multiple ER visits and even surgery. To get pregnant, she would need in vitro fertilization, and in early 2023, she and her partner embarked on their IVF journey.
“IVF is an intense experience, but I was extremely fortunate to get pregnant after the first round of treatments. I put a great deal of thought into my birth plan. At first, I wanted a home birth, but then I decided I wanted an unmedicated, natural delivery and chose a birthing center an hour from home.”
That was the plan throughout her pregnancy – until what Kayla thought was false labor turned out to be the real thing on the morning of Black Friday last year, two weeks before her due date.
“By the time I realized I was actually in labor, my contractions were very painful and about a minute apart. My mom and I agreed this baby was probably coming soon and I should head to Shore Medical Center right down the road instead of the birthing center. I knew that Shore was a great hospital, but I was nervous because the doctors and nurses didn’t know me.”
When Kayla arrived at Shore, she immediately felt she was in great hands.
“I was greeted by Shore laborist Dr. Edna Garcia and my two nurses. Even though I hadn’t met them before, I felt like they were part of my team all along,” Kayla said. “They told me that I had gotten through much of my labor on my own, making me feel great about what I’d already accomplished.”
Throughout her labor, Kayla’s care team educated her and helped her to make informed choices. She had the full support of her doctor and nurses to forego an epidural, but ultimately, she decided to have one. “It was a huge relief to have that as an option,” Kayla said.
At 3:30 p.m., baby Kairo made his grand entrance. “It was immediately an overwhelming and emotional experience. He needed some medical attention first, which made me panic, but even as Dr. Garcia was finishing my post-partum care, she was at the same time reassuring me that he would be just fine. Kairo also had some jaundice, but Shore neonatologist Dr. Bryan Darling’s expertise and his bedside manner reassured me that we’d get through that as well.”
Kayla was especially touched by her two nurses, who tracked her down to say goodbye when their shift was over, after she was moved to a different room.
“They said how glad they were that they could be there to help me through my delivery, and how much they enjoyed having me as a patient. That really stuck out,” Kayla said. “I appreciated both of them.”
Kairo is 8-weeks old now, and Kayla is loving every minute of being a mom, bonding with him and watching him interact more and more with the world around him. She reflected on her overall experience and said she’d choose Shore again when the time comes.
“Although my original birth plan did not go as I intended, everyone at Shore took such good care of me. They really had my best interest in mind and allowed me to make all my own choices. That was so important to me. I really felt like I was being heard, and that they all worked so well together and with me as a team.”
