I’ve always wanted to be a mom. In fact, my own mom used to tell me that I would pretend to nurse my baby dolls alongside her when she would feed my baby brother. This feeling of wanting to be a mother has literally gotten me through some of the biggest hurdles I’ve had to overcome. In fact, I don’t know how I would have overcome my eating disorder as a teenager if I wasn’t told that I would never be able to have children if I were to continue down that same path. It truly has been my lifesaver. (Although that story is for another time.)
Now with that said, there’s no denying the fact that having a baby is a big deal and that there is tons of planning that needs to go into bringing a new life into this big, crazy world. From the newborn layette to the car seats, strollers, toys and everything else that you can currently see littered around my household (thanks to my 7-month-old and her two older siblings), having a baby is no small feat! Even getting pregnant often takes a lot of preparation, and unfortunately doesn’t come as easy as we probably all thought it did as kids.
But the part about being a mom that often gets overlooked is the research and preparation that goes into finding the right doctor or midwife, the hospital where you’ll want to give birth, your birth plan, what immediately happens after giving birth … this list also goes on and on! So where do you even start? Especially as a new mom or if you’re new to a specific city, how do you know which doctors or hospitals are going to fit your needs best?!
Well, thanks to and their amazing list of 9 hospitals all over the Dallas and Fort Worth areas, you know you’ll be in good hands no matter which area you reside in – or even happen to be in – when labor strikes! In fact, you can expect to find high-quality, specialized care for mom and baby – combined with thoughtful amenities designed to create a unique, personalized, unforgettable childbirth experience. Standing behind their motto “We Deliver Dreams,” Medical City Healthcare is where excellence meets elegance and healthcare is personalized for women of all ages and stages.
My first child was born in Southern California, just like my husband and me, so when we moved to Dallas and became pregnant with our second, it was basically like starting over – at least as far as finding a new doctor, hospital, etc. was concerned. To me, finding a practice that was close to home was of the utmost priority since my son was two years old at the time. Luckily, Las Colinas Medical Center (LCMC) was only a 5-minute drive away, so I was quickly sold. The that I chose was also in the same building and is why I decided to go with that practice, as well.
In between daughters two and three, LCMC went through a rebranding and changed to Medical City Las Colinas – and I couldn’t have been happier! To make a very long story short, the midwife that I saw during the majority of my pregnancy (mainly due to the fact that my OB was so overbooked), did not have privileges to deliver at LCMC, which is why she wasn’t my full-time doctor in the first place. However, after Medical City took over, my midwife, Johanna Congleton, DNP, CNM was added to the roster and was able to become my full-time provider – which I couldn’t have been more pleased with!
Also, to make a long – and very sad – story short, I was pregnant before having Kaia, my third child, and current 7-month-old. During that pregnancy, which devastatingly turned into a missed miscarriage at 12weeks, Johanna Congleton was also my OB. The shock that I received while going for my 12-week ultrasound, that ultimately left me with the harsh reality that my baby’s heart had stopped beating, will haunt me forever. However, Johanna Congleton couldn’t have been more supportive through it all and even gave me her cell phone number and told me to reach out whenever I needed. From that moment on, she was there for me above and beyond what I could ever have hoped a doctor would be, and helped me plan out how my next pregnancy would go, and all the things she would do to reassure me that we would do all in our power to make sure my next pregnancy was as healthy and smooth-running as possible.
Five months later, I again returned to her office, but this time with a chemical pregnancy (meaning I was briefly pregnant but lost the baby before ever hearing the heartbeat). And while sad in and of itself, I believe this was just my body’s way of cleansing and preparing itself for my next baby – which is now my happy and joyful 8-month-old! Again, Dr. Johanna was there for me and promised to run all the tests needed to see what was happening with my body. Fortunately, the next time I came in I was pregnant, although this news was hard to accept due to all I had been through previously.
Consistently reassuring and promising to do everything in her power to keep me at ease, Dr. Congleton saw me every week – sometimes several times per week – to make sure that my blood-hormone levels were where they needed to be and that my baby was growing at a healthy rate. All of this helped to ease my anxiety (as much as it could be relieved) and gave me a peace that everything was happening just as it should. Without the thoroughness I was given I don’t know how I would have sanely made it through, and I completely credit my doctor for my feelings of ease and for all she did for me!
She also helped me go over my birth plan and pre-birth wishes, when it came that time in my pregnancy, again making me feel as comfortable with everything as could possibly be hoped for. She even texted me ways to ease my pre-labor pains and saw me numerous times to see if it was time for me to head to the hospital or if I should hold out at home another day or two. Pregnant herself, Dr. Congleton even walked up and down the hospital stairs with me when I was in intense labor, to help urge my little girl out that much quicker!
The nurses at Medical City Las Colinas were also extremely nice and helpful – and I couldn’t have been more grateful for such a great labor and delivery staff! Seriously! The amount of personalized care was outstanding! Having been through this twice before, having women there that made me feel so comfortable and at ease really helped make the process that much more bearable – especially since I decided to forego any kind of medical intervention (aka, an epidural)! The staff even gave me a labor ball to help make me as relaxed as possible, which anyone who has experienced back labor knows, is a must!
After I delivered, I was lucky enough to be able to do my postpartum recovery in the “first-come-first-served” VIP suite, which really was a treat! The room was partitioned into two separate areas, one for momma and baby, and then one for the guests, and included a separate TV, couch, chairs, table, and sink area, so they could feel comfortable while the baby and I had some much-needed peace and quiet to ourselves! The hospital even offered in-room photography so there wasn’t any need to find a photographer after the fact!
The staff who came and saw us during this portion of our stay were also beyond amazing, consistently asking us how we were doing and if they could bring us anything else. Not only did they seem knowledgeable about everything I was going through, but you could also tell they truly cared, treating me like family and helping to do what was best for both my baby and me.
Medical City even had lactation consultants available on-call to make sure that the crucial first hours of breastfeeding were as easy on both me and the baby as possible. The food also far surpassed an average hospital stay, with all types of gourmet-inspired dishes and meals being offered, helping to accommodate my dairy and gluten allergies, as well as other likes and dislikes.
And while I would have loved to stay an extra day or two, I felt the urge to take my new baby home after a short 24-hour stay, which the hospital had no issue obliging, since both my baby and I were doing well and passed all of the tests which were required to leave.
Now, to sum it all up: giving birth isn’t easy. Being pregnant isn’t easy. Even getting pregnant – or staying pregnant – doesn’t always come easy. However, finding a doctor, a hospital and a plan that you can feel comfortable with truly does make all the difference and I honestly don’t have enough good things to say about Medical City Healthcare Women’s Services and all of the different facets of it that I have come into contact with over the years. From their knowledgeable staff to their modern accommodations, I truly am grateful for my past experience there and if (and hopefully when) I have another baby, will be going back to experience it all again! Their motto is “We Deliver Dreams” – and they most definitely do!
Want to learn more and experience the patient-based care that Medical City Women’s provides? You can choose your childbirth amenities and find the hospital that’s right for you and your family, by simply clicking HERE. https://wedeliverdreams.com/about/newsroom/
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As always, thanks so much for following along with me on my Health & Motherhood journey! I appreciate each and every one of you because it’s YOU who makes this all worth it!
** This post was sponsored by Medical City Healthcare. **
