Personalized Support and Care through Every Pregnancy [Kacey Fey]

I'm Kacey Fey, and I am originally from the Chester, South Dakota area, so not too far from Brookings. After my husband and I got married about five years ago, we moved to Brookings and now we live on a little acreage, just north of town, about 15 miles. I work for Hurley and Associates here in town, and my husband works in town as well, so it's very nice to be close to home.

How many children do you have?

So, I have our first son, his name is Jace. He just turned two on October 1st, so he's just the sweetest little guy there is. He's been a wonderful big brother to Miles, who we just had four months ago now here in Brookings. And they're just fun to have boys at home, and I'm looking forward to them growing up together and being so close in age.

Why did you choose Brookings Health System for delivery?

We both work in Brookings. We live north of town here, so our closest options would be, like, Watertown. Sioux Falls is a little bit further. And just with us working in town, Brookings was a really solid option for appointments during the week, being able to do that on my lunch break, close to home, and close to family members. So, it just made a lot of sense because we were in town here and we've heard a lot of good things about Brookings Health System, so we figured we will come here for having our babies, and it's worked out really well both times.

How was your care during pregnancy?

Dr. Abele was our OB for both. She did not deliver both babies, but she was our OB for both. Our care was awesome. We got to know the nurses on this floor, her nurse, very well. And everybody knew us by name. We walked in the door and they were able to check us in just by seeing us, not having to ask who we were really. So, it was wonderful during the whole pregnancy. We never had any problems, and so it was just fun to come somewhere you felt comfortable walking in. It was small enough that you knew the people at the front desk, so.

How did the staff support you during labor and delivery?

They were very attentive to us the whole time. They made sure we had everything we needed, asked us how we were doing. They made you feel very welcome and very comfortable throughout the whole process. I know it can be long for many people, and so it was just nice to have the same nurses there with you the whole time supporting you. Yeah, they just took good care of you.

How was your experience with your delivering physician, Dr. Haarsma?

Dr. Haarsma was on call the middle of the night when we had Jace the first time around. So, Dr. Haarsma delivered Jace, and that was a wonderful experience too. I didn't feel any hiccups at all, and it was neat to see the consistency between the two doctors. We obviously didn't know what to expect the first time we had a baby, and the nurses and Dr. Haarsma were very encouraging. They led me through the whole pushing process, and it was very much the same with Dr. Abele. And so it was neat to see the consistency that the doctors and the nurses have and how routine they are and they make a really great team, so.

How did Dr. Abele help develop your birth plan?

They laid out the options very clearly. I didn't have myself a big birth plan going in, so it was interesting to look at the sheets beforehand and say like, "Oh, this would maybe be something that I was interested in." And they obviously took that and they ran with it, and they were very supportive of anything that we would have wanted during that birth plan. So, it was great to know that they were never going to be like, "Oh, we can't do that. We're not gonna do that because that seems odd or anything like that." So, they were very supportive with our choices that we made, and we were grateful for that.

What did you appreciate most?

Probably my husband and I would both say just how homey it felt. It didn't feel like a cold environment, it didn't feel like we were uncomfortable here at all, it just was small enough that they welcomed our family, and it just, we appreciated being in a smaller town clinic versus a much bigger place where you're in multiple rooms throughout the labor and delivery, and they're constantly moving you when you're done. So, it just was great to be in a smaller hospital where the nurses took good care of you, they knew you, and it just felt like home here, so.

So, I obviously didn't know any different, I had never been to a Sioux Falls hospital to do labor and delivery. So, when I hear friends who deliver babies there, and as soon as they have the baby, they're being transported to another room, and I'm like, "Oh, my goodness, that sounds like hectic because you just get done having a baby, you just wanna relax with your new family. And so I really did love being all in the same room.

We really enjoyed the food here, it was kind of funny because that's always the joke, right? Hospital food is never good, but we loved our meals. When people would offer to bring us food, we'd say, "That's okay. We have a great menu here." And we enjoyed everything we ate the whole time we stayed here, so.

How was your postpartum recovery?

Postpartum recovery has gone very, very well. I know that it can be a difficult time and you never know what that after-period is gonna look like. So, I'm very grateful that my last four months have gone really smoothly, and we've been really happy. So, that's helpful.

How did the staff support your decision to breastfeed?

I feel very encouraged here. I know that they've done a lot of research on breastfeeding and it's good to have that support after you have a baby, just because I know during past times, breastfeeding probably wasn't so encouraged. And so now these days, after all the research that's been done on how good breastfeeding is, it was great to have that support from the nurses and the lactation consultants.

I breastfed Jace about five and a half months, and so far the second pregnancy, the breastfeeding journey's gone even better and my supply seems to be better, and I've just learned a lot more. Breastfeeding journey has gone very well for me, so I'm thankful for that too.

How did the Brookings Health System resources help before and after delivery?

Just knowing that you have somewhere to go, somebody who has researched all of this so much, that you have somebody to go to with your questions, and they're very open to questions. They don't want to hide anything from you, so I was never afraid to come to my nurses or Dr. Abele if there was anything I was concerned about or any questions I had going forward. I know I had somebody I could call.

What would you tell someone considering delivery at Brookings Health System?

I would tell them to definitely consider Brookings as an option. I think so many people have in their mind they need to go to the bigger hospitals, they need to go down to Sioux Falls, or wherever it may be. But I think it's growing and the facilities are so nice and it's just I highly encourage anybody who's considering Brookings to come check out the OB floor. I mean, they give you tours of the suites. And so I tell people, you just need to come check it out and you need to consider it as an option because it is a really great place to be. Especially if you live in Brookings, it just makes a lot of sense to be this close to your OB care, especially when you get closer to labor and delivery, so.

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