I am 34 years old. I am the mother of two girls and one boy, whom my husband and I love dearly. I am blessed to say I have three healthy children. But getting to this point has been an incredibly difficult journey. I had traumatizing deliveries with my daughters at another hospital, and I was terrified that my son Holden’s birth would be the same.

It had been less than a year since the Nobles moved to North Carolina from the Boston area. The unpleasant memories of two painful Caesarian sections were still fresh on Lise’s mind.

“My experiences delivering Skyler and Bailey were both awful,” says Lise.

Skyler was delivered via emergency Caesarian section as she was unresponsive, in breech position, and had no amniotic fluid protecting her. For Lise, the situation came as a shock.

“My doctors had been telling me that everything was fine. They said that Skyler’s head was down and that all of my fluids were intact.

“But Bailey’s delivery was the worst. My anesthesia ran out halfway through the Caesarian section, and it took four and half hours before I was given anything more than Motrin for the pain,” she says.

The pain aside, it was the days after Bailey’s birth that were most difficult.

“She was put in the special care unit because she stopped breathing several times in the first 48 hours. The hospital was horrible at communicating to us regarding what was going on, and the nursing staff was not nearly as friendly and considerate as they were at Durham Regional Hospital.”

A Difficult Birth Made Easier

It was at Durham Regional Hospital that Lise delivered her third child, Holden. She says the experience was far better, even considering his three-day stay in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Holden suffered from breathing difficulties, fluctuating sugar and oxygen levels, and an elevated white blood cell count.

“My emotions were all over the place. When Bailey had needed special care, it was emotionally draining and frustrating because the hospital staff did not communicate with me or let me see my baby for two days.

“We were anxious that this would be a similar experience. But doctors and nurses at Durham Regional were very good at communicating and responding to our concerns and needs. It was very important to me to see Holden, hold him, and feed him as soon as possible. They did everything they could to make that happen,” says Lise.

One member of Holden’s nursing team was Mary Parker, RN, who empowers each worried parent with knowledge of the situation.

“Education stems fear,” says Mary. “You have to tell moms and dads where you’re at, give them information. You tell them what the beeping machines are, what the wires are doing.”

For Lise, it was Mary’s compassion that left the strongest mark.

“Mary was incredibly good at soothing Holden and putting us at ease. We couldn’t be in the special care unit with him all the time, and when we weren’t, we were most at ease when Mary was there. She really felt like family, and when we left, I wished we could bring her home with us.”

“My kids might have something to say about that,” says Mary with a laugh. “That’s the best part of my job -- sending parents home with a healthy baby.”

After a bumpy start, the Noble family is now thriving with Holden -- the “healthiest little boy imaginable,” according to his proud mom.

To make an appointment with a Duke physician, call 1-888-ASK-DUKE.

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