Convenience & Consistency Supports Smooth Second Pregnancy [Emily Jacobsen]

My name is Emily Jacobsen. I'm from Yankton, South Dakota, and I have a 3-year-old, Pacey, and a 2 and a half-month old, Hannah.

Why did you choose Brookings Health System for your second child?

I didn't even think about going anywhere else. The care here was phenomenal. I had even joked with my husband in the car before I had gotten pregnant. I would have another baby just to come here again. I know that sounds ridiculous and it is. But I felt so good. Like, even the way that my room was cleaned, the food, the shower, all the windows.

How was your care during pregnancy?

Since I was high risk, I had to come in, I think it was every four to six weeks, and do an ultrasound, or meet with Dr. Abele to make sure that the fetus was growing the way it should. And it was not just Dr. Abele. Every nurse on the app, I would message and the nurses would get back to me within the hour. So, any communication that I had not only with Dr. Abele, but the nurses and the secretaries would call me back and leave a voicemail like, I always...they were very responsive.

Why is it important to have pregnancy care close to home?

If I had to go somewhere else, I would have had to take a lot more leave without pay. And so, I'm really thankful that Brookings is a five-minute drive from the high school because I was able to take two hours every time that I had to take an appointment. It was just two hours because it was right here. The convenience was everything to me.

How did the staff support you during delivery?

So, I had one nurse on the right and one nurse on the left, and they were just kind of helping me, talking me through the breaths. Dr. Abele and then our nurse, Emily, was in there, and then there were a couple other people, and they were just helping me breathe and telling me when to push, and things like that. But I never felt like there were too many people in the room just because it is such a personal experience that you kind of want the fewest amount of people in there possible. And they were so nice, and they were amazing.

Why was delivering at Brookings Health important to you?

And I had joked with Dr. Abele leading up to my pregnancy, "How many weeks do I need to make it where I don't get sent to Sioux Falls?" And so, she had said, "You have to make it to 35 weeks and then you can stay in the Brookings Health System." And it was like, "Okay, I only want Dr. Abele to be here. I want to be in the health system because I trust everyone here, and it's like my safe place." So, I kind of, I kept telling myself, you know, 35 weeks. So, I think that was the best part about my recovery is that I could take my baby home.

How did the staff support your decision to breastfeed?

When I was in the NICU, I felt everything felt very forced, and I appreciate all the nurses and the doctors who were there in Sioux Falls. However, I felt like here at the health system, it was much more optional. And they talked me through all the different things, you know, "This is not your only option. You could also do this," or, you know, and they were very informative of the different ways that you could feed your baby. And so, I was really appreciative.

What advice would you give to expecting moms?

I think the biggest piece of advice, I would say, is trust yourself and your doctors. A lot of the decisions were up to me and I liked that, you know, "Do you want to have your water broken first or the epidural?" You know, everything that they offered to me always felt like an option. You know, it wasn't, "You need to do this or do that." It was always brought to my attention. I could talk about it with my husband or, you know, if I did want advice, like with the nurse, "What would you do," they offered it, you know, because you don't know what you don't know. And so, I was thankful that when I did ask questions, they always explained it to me.

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

The care, the communication, the ease of everything, the convenience is second to none, and even the facility is beautiful. And it was like, "Wow, I can't believe that so many people are here to take care of me."

Are you one of Brookings Health System's grateful patients who would like to give back to us? Learn more about how you can give back at brookingshealth.org/MyThanks.