Brown Family

Pregnant with their first child, while also settling into a new house and hometown, Lisa and Michael Brown were excited about the next phase of their life, which would expand their family of two — to three.  As new Pasadeneans, the couple knew choosing where to give birth was an important decision. When one of Lisa’s trusted colleagues highly recommended the Family Birth Center at Huntington Hospital, Lisa and Michael immediately knew they found the right place to have their baby. “I wanted a clean, comforting and welcoming environment and the best doctors and nurses,” says Lisa. “Huntington Hospital was exactly what we wanted and needed.”

The couple soon made an appointment with Huntington Health-affiliated OB-GYN Eleanor Leung, MD, who monitored Lisa throughout her pregnancy. During a routine appointment at 36 weeks, Lisa mentioned to Dr. Leung that her hands were excessively itchy. Recognizing that this could be a sign of cholestasis, a potentially serious condition in which the flow of bile from the liver stops or slows, Dr. Leung recommended that Lisa be admitted to Huntington Hospital immediately, so labor could be induced.

Lisa spent the next several days here and underwent multiple interventions to help progress labor. However, when she was still not fully dilated and had developed a fever, Huntington Health-affiliated OB-GYN Helen Huynh, DO, decided that for the health of her and her baby, it was necessary that Lisa have a cesarean section. Dr. Huynh performed the surgery and safely delivered baby Jade, who was then taken to our level IIIB neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) for extra care. Jade’s temperature was slightly elevated, and she needed antibiotics. “I was so sad I couldn’t immediately be with Jade, but I knew it was the safest place for her.”

While Jade was in the NICU, nurses helped Lisa recuperate and regain her strength, and prepared her to breastfeed. “The Huntington nursing team was really great while I was recovering,” says Lisa. “Every single nurse helped and supported me. They showed me how to hand express to collect colostrum to send to Jade, who was in the NICU for two days. Once Jade was able to be with me in the room, they showed me how to have her latch, too.”

Lisa’s family also felt safe and comforted here during Jade’s birth. In fact, Grandma Million Heir-Williams, who was close by throughout labor, delivery and recovery, notes she was very pleased with the family’s overall experience. “I don’t think Huntington Hospital could have done anything differently in what we experienced as a family,” says Million. “From the valet and gift shop employees to the volunteers at the front desk and the security guards, each person made us feel welcome and cared for.”

Today, baby Jade has doubled her weight from six pounds at birth to 12 pounds and is healthy as can be. Lisa says she knew she made the right choice to give birth at Huntington Hospital. “I was impressed by the level of compassion and personalized care, and did not feel like just a number there,” she says. “We wanted to choose the best hospital and we certainly did.”

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