Women & Babies Hospital offers both inpatient and outpatient surgery for women. Inpatient surgery involves at least one overnight stay; whereas the patient leaves the hospital the same day with outpatient surgery.

Recently, surgical patients Janet Huffman and Lisa Moffatt both learned about the importance of having a hospital that caters to their needs, not only as patients, but also, as women.

Janet came to Women & Babies Hospital in January for a hysterectomy and bladder lift. She admits to feeling a bit nervous because her only prior hospital experiences had been to deliver her children. But she says, “I knew that I would feel better after the surgery.”

Janet was especially thankful for the care and concern the doctors and nurses showed her and her family. “The nursing staff was extraordinary,” she says. “They kept checking on me, explaining what was happening and listening to my concerns. They helped me and my family to understand what was going on. They talked about the types of things I would be feeling and experiencing as I was recovering from my surgery.”

Holly Carpenter, RN, helps patients like Janet in the pre- and post-surgical areas of the hospital. With 22 years of experience working in women’s health, Holly brings a high degree of knowledge and compassion to her job. Every day she sees women who are nervous and scared. Besides being well-trained in caring for their medical needs, she tries to help them manage their emotional ones as well.

“I enjoy working with women. I let them know it is okay to express their emotions. I want them to feel comfortable and to know that they are in good hands,” Holly says.

Besides the support of the nurses, Janet was fortunate to have her family by her side throughout her three-day stay. Family members commented on how impressed they were with various aspects of Women & Babies Hospital.

“It was the most caring and patient-oriented hospital,” Janet says.

Like Janet, Lisa had only been in a hospital to give birth to her two sons. Her youngest son was born just before Women & Babies Hospital opened in 2000. All her friends have had their babies there and Lisa says she looked forward to one day becoming a maternity patient again.

But Lisa’s chance to experience Women & Babies Hospital came sooner than she expected and not for the reason she had originally hoped. Last March, her doctor noticed a uterine fibroid about the size of a tennis ball. Six months later, it had grown in size. Lisa decided to have it removed.

“I was extremely stressed about going under anesthesia,” Lisa recalls. “I knew there was also a chance that I could wake up and the doctor would have had to perform a hysterectomy.”

Fortunately, the nurses understood how to meet her physical and emotional needs.

“From the time I walked in, I had an excellent experience,” Lisa says. “The nurses knew I was nervous and they tried to help take my mind off everything by using a light-hearted, but caring approach. They explained everything that was going to happen, step by step, and kept my husband informed about my progress.”

As specialists in women’s health, the nurses at Women & Babies Hospital demonstrate years of experience, first-rate training and sincere understanding.

Based on the feedback she receives from her patients, Holly thinks Women & Babies Hospital offers a fresh, unique approach. “At other hospitals their sole focus is not always on women,” she says. She points out the way the hospital provides the little extras such as the beautiful decor, spacious private rooms, in-room hair dryers, large bathrooms and overnight sleeper chairs. Visitors are not limited to set visitation hours. With the 24-hour open visitation policy, patients’ visitors can freely come and go if they need to take care of family or personal matters.

Pat Shultz, RN, also works in pre- and post-operative surgical care. She says women frequently comment on how much they appreciate the hospital. “There’s no overhead paging to disturb the patients. It’s nice and quiet and has a homelike atmosphere. The patients love it. Some of them don’t want to leave because we take care of their every need,” she says.

Women who are planning a surgery at Women & Babies Hospital also appreciate being able to complete all their pre-operative work such as lab testing and X-rays in one location. If they choose, they can also stop by the surgical areas to get a better understanding of where they will be going. Some women find that helps ease some of the stress of coping with their upcoming surgery.

• Women & Babies Hospital
• Women’s Health Program 
• Register to receive our free Women’s Health Health-e newsletter