With four children now—all girls—Alyssa Pederson and her husband are contemplating a move into a new house soon. Pederson has a general vision of what that will look like, with one rock solid stipulation.
“We’re gonna need two bathrooms,” she said.
With the biggest sister (Nora, 6) holding the baby (Lydia), and the next biggest one waiting to pitch in (Kinsley*, 5, who likes to throw the diapers away), Pederson was able to find a moment to talk about her relationship with midwife Kay Weina of Women’s Care of Wisconsin.
“Well, not sure that you know this [full disclosure: I didn’t**], but I actually worked with Kay before I was her patient,” said Pederson. “Kay’s medical assistant went back to school for her nursing degree, so I became her MA.”
Pederson did her medical assistant internship at Women’s Care of Wisconsin when she was pregnant with Kinsley and was hired two months before her delivery. She returned to her duties following, then went on maternity leave with her third child (Hazel, now 2), came back for a short stint, and then left Women’s Care to be a full-time mom two years ago.
Weina would deliver both Hazel and Lydia (16 weeks). The midwife experience, in general terms and with Kay specifically, has made Pederson an advocate.
“What I like the most about having a midwife is that I just feel like they have more time to be with you,” said Pederson. “While I was in labor with both of the younger girls, Kay would pop in and out whenever she could or she'd come up there and spend her entire lunch break with me. After the clinic day was done, she was up there until I had Hazel. When I was walking the halls while I was laboring with Lydia, Kay was up there walking with me.”
She gives Weina and her delivery nurse kudos for their support and encouragement which allowed her to deliver Lydia without an epidural.
“I was really glad I was able to do that,” said Pederson. “I almost caved.”
Partnering with Weina as both a colleague and a patient, Pederson appreciates Weina’s approach to care.
“Kay takes time to listen to your concerns, your wishes, your questions,” Pederson said. “You don't feel rushed with her. She’ll take as long as she needs with you, even if that means the rest of her day is now running late.”
Pederson, like many other patients before her, touched on Weina’s almost mythic aura of serenity.
“For labor and delivery, when she walks in the room there’s just a feeling of calmness,” said Pederson. “With Lydia, the nurse texted Kay when I was eight centimeters, but I needed her back because the baby decided right then it was time. I was freaking out a bit until I heard Kay’s voice. Then it was like, ‘Okay, I can do this.’”
From the very first appointments to confirming the baby’s heartbeat up until the time of delivery, Pederson’s expectations with Weina have always been exceeded. She ends with a final anecdote about Kay.
“Kay loves to go camping,” said Pederson. “But if she has a patient that goes into labor while she’s camping, she’ll go to the hospital and deliver the baby, and then she’ll go back. I must say, Kay is the sweetest human on earth.”
NOTES:
*Kinsley: How parents arrive at names sometimes works without
a hitch. But sometimes you need a process:
“Pick one,” he said.
“What am I picking?”
“Her name.”
“WHAT?”
I picked Kinsley, and here we are!
**I didn't: In addition to not knowing Alyssa was a former employee at Women’s Care of Wisconsin, I also happened to contact her on May 3, hoping she would talk to me about Kay. The timing could be considered serendipitous. Or insensitive. I choose the former.
Her response: “I will definitely reach out to you once I get
a look at my calendar at home. We are currently at the in the hospital as Kay
actually just delivered our baby yesterday!”
