Dana's Story

“Mindful, functional and beautiful solutions for experiences are my passion.” That’s Dana, the product designer and business owner, on her website’s homepage. A promise to deliver on her clients’ goals and objectives, Dana’s words could also describe what she was looking for as a mom—and also a surrogate—when she found her OB/GYN, Dr. Valary Gass. Her thoughts will be enlightening for anyone searching for the right provider.

Before you found Dr. Gass, things weren’t clicking with your first OB/GYN. What were you looking for in a provider?

I needed a provider who was more on my wavelength with how I wanted pregnancy and deliveries and things like that to go for me. I mean, if it was up to me right now, I’d probably do a home birth with Dr. Gass. I want the best of both worlds. I was really looking for a provider who would let me set my goals and intentions and respect them. That’s when I started asking around to people, reading the bios on websites and watching the videos, and I decided just to schedule an appointment with Dr. Gass and try her out. She was just this ray of sunshine.

Not sure we need to steal from “Casablanca,” but this sounds like it was the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

Yeah, Dr. Gass is my girl. She was great during that pregnancy because a number of things came up. She was just so confident in her approach and didn’t jump to conclusions or make assumptions. She always waited until we had all the evidence and would present it to me just that way. That first delivery with her was magical, everything I could have ever wanted. Now, Dr. Gass knows everything about me and my life. Literally a few weeks ago, when I delivered as a surrogate, I told her I loved her after I had the baby.

Okay, so what do you mean when you say the birth was “magical.”

I remember her coming in. She was very prompt, because my first baby was born in like two and a half hours, start to finish. I think I was in the hospital for maybe 18 minutes before my second, Brooks, was born, and she was there, ready to go. And I don't even think she was on that night, but she knew I was anxious about everything. And it was during covid. Dr. Gass was just so calm and chill about it all. She didn't make me do any sort of IVs or anything I didn't want—she knew my preferences—and advocated for me with the nurses, which was just incredible.

You mentioned “surrogate.”

I told Dr. Gass I wanted to be a surrogate shortly after Brooks was born. She said I’d be wonderful. My husband and I just love being parents; we love our kids so much. I’ve had easy pregnancies, pretty easy deliveries, good recoveries. Birth is the most empowering thing I've ever done in my life. So we decided we wanted to pay it forward to other couples who were struggling to become parents that wanted to have a biological baby. I ended up hemorrhaging after both of my surrogacy deliveries, but never once did I or my husband get scared, because Dr. Gass is just on it.

And you just delivered your second belly buddy last month?

I sure did. I had my first belly buddy, a boy, when Brooks was 18 months old; that was January of 2022. Last month I delivered a girl. And for the follow up question I know is coming, the answer depends on which me responds to the question. If you ask logical me, I’d say we are done with pregnancies. Hormonal me, however, would be willing to do a sibling journey for those wonderful people.

Is there anything else you’d like to share about your OB/GYN?

Okay, going back to when I had Brooks. I remember the nurses asking Dr. Gass if she needed the light, or did she want me to scoot to the end. And I remember her standing back so calm and just saying, “No one needs to be born with the spotlight. Baby's gonna come.” She was just the perfect amount of hands-off, because she knew that's what I wanted, but she was right there, ready when it was time to do all the important parts. I felt like I had a home birth but in a hospital setting, which was exactly what I wanted.

One final thought?

Maybe I can sum it up this way: Dr. Gass has this confidence about her that makes me feel comfortable, even when I'm gushing out 2,000 milliliters of blood after I have a baby. I'm like, ‘She's got me. We're good.’

She’s just that incredible. 

Meet Caroline Abel, APNP

Caroline has spent the majority of her career in the women's health setting. She empowers women by providing education and expertise so they can make informed healthcare decisions. A people person by nature, Caroline provides a level of care and comfort to her patients so they feel they can open up to her and tell her anything they need or want to.

Caroline received a Bachelor of Science in Nursing and a Doctor of Nursing Practice Degree from the University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh. She is board certified as a Nurse Practitioner through the American Nurses Credentialing Center.

Outside of work, Caroline enjoys traveling, coffee and animals, although not necessarily in that order.

Well, this morning maybe it's coffee.

To schedule an appointment with Caroline, please call 920.729.7105.

Meet Colin Johnson MD

Women’s Care of Wisconsin is proud to announce that Dr. Colin Johnson has joined the team. A fellowship-trained Urogynecologist and Reconstructive Pelvic Surgeon, Dr. Colin Johnson specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of pelvic floor disorders. He provides advanced medical and surgical treatments for a variety of conditions including pelvic organ prolapse, urinary and fecal incontinence, recurrent UTIs, and many more.

This quick Q & A will help you get to know Dr. Johnson, who will see patients in our Appleton location at 3232 N Ballard Road.

Can you describe the journey that led you to Women’s Care of Wisconsin?

I’m originally from Kohler, Wisconsin, grew up there, went to high school there, then went to Grinnell College in Iowa and started as a math major. But I knew I wanted to do medicine. My parents were physicians and they both had very rewarding careers, so I knew I was going to make that happen. I did med school and residency at Medical College of Wisconsin, then was a general OB/GYN in Minnesota while my wife did her dermatology fellowship. She’s originally from Appleton, so coming back home just made sense.

What services will you be offering at Women’s Care of Wisconsin?

So I’m a little different from all the other providers at Women’s Care. I’m a urogynecologist, which is a relatively newer specialty that’s essentially a subspecialty of OB/GYN. We specialize in the treatment of pelvic floor disorders. Though I’m a board-certified OB/GYN, I will focus exclusively on urogynecologic patients at Women’s Care.

What are some of the pelvic disorders you treat?

I do both medical and surgical treatments for urinary incontinence, fecal incontinence, urinary retention or voiding dysfunction, recurrent UTI’s and many more. One of the most common disorders I treat is pelvic organ prolapse, where one or more organs drop from their normal position due to a lack of pelvic floor support. Despite the fact that it’s quite common, pelvic organ prolapse is a condition that still isn’t talked about very much.

What causes pelvic organ prolapse?

The most common cause for pelvic organ prolapse and most other pelvic floor disorders is vaginal childbirth.

What kinds of treatments are offered for common pelvic floor disorders like pelvic organ prolapse and urinary incontinence?

Pelvic floor disorders are almost always quality of life issues. When I see patients, I like to educate them on the many options that are available and give them the autonomy to choose what’s best for them. There are many conservative, medical and surgical approaches to treating pelvic floor disorders. I encourage my patients to make their choice based on how much it affects their daily life. In some cases, patients will choose not to do anything at all, kind of a wait and watch approach, and that is very reasonable. For those who find their issue very bothersome, there are a number of things we can do to significantly improve their quality of life. And I find that very rewarding.

Okay, now let’s hear about you in a non-medical way.

My wife and I have a three-year old and a five-month-old, so let’s just say we are always pretty busy. But now that we are back in Appleton, we have a ton of family around, which is so nice. Some other things about me: I played tennis collegiately at Grinnell (and still try to play racquet sports when I can); I love to cook (I stick with simple, healthy meals); I enjoy reading, especially fantasy novels (Have you read The Will of the Many?); and I’m always up for playing a board game with my wife (Settlers of Catan is a favorite).

One final thought?

So many of things I help patients with are concerns they once thought were just part of getting older. They were embarrassed about it, so they didn’t talk about it, not with friends and not with family. By seeking answers—which is a courageous thing to do—they learned that there are so many treatments available to them, and that they didn’t have to suffer in silence.