Best friends give birth a day apart at Gundersen Palmer Lutheran

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Best friends give birth a day apart at Gundersen Palmer Lutheran

From early on in their pregnancies, Hannah Schveiger and Gabby Dobbs knew that they'd be giving birth pretty close to one another. As it turns out, the college friends entered their 39^th week together, so they decided they'd deliver their babies after induction just a hair over one day apart at Gundersen Palmer Lutheran Hospital in West Union.

Now, these best friends set up their newborns to have a best friend of their own.

Friends from the start

Hannah and Gabby met while attending Upper Iowa University in Fayette, and because both were in the school's education program, they had several classes together, so they quickly became friends. That friendship has endured through the years while Hannah, who lives in West Union, teaches at West Central Elementary School in Maynard, and Gabby, a Tripoli resident, at North Fayette Valley in West Union.

Both women have had babies before - each of them delivered at Gundersen Palmer. But this time, because of the timing of their new arrivals, they knew the experience would be different. They hoped they'd be there together.

And so it was, when scheduling their induction dates, Gabby won - they both wanted the same day - the opportunity to go first. Soon after, her baby girl, Hayden was born on June 10. The next day, Hannah arrived, and just after midnight on June 12, her son, Kasyn, made his entrance.

Because the babies were born essentially a day apart, Hannah and Gabby got to spend time together in OB during their postpartum recovery.

"As soon as we got there, we saw her baby the next morning, and we got to hold her and whatnot," Hannah said. "And Kasyn was born in the middle of the night, so the next morning, they got to come in and see him, too."

It was a celebratory few days in the OB hallway. Two moms visiting with each other, cradling their newborns, dads getting their bonding time, too, while keeping track of older brothers and sisters. And Gabby's husband, Collin, even found time the next morning to make pancakes for everyone - including the nurses and other staff on the unit.

What's more, both women are friends with Nicole Havenstrite, the owner of a local coffee shop in West Union. She brought coffee for everyone and got to meet the newest members of the families.

A lasting connection

Gabby said it was fun to be able to share all the pregnancy stages with her friend - and then the delivery, too. She said with her first child, she received the support of friends and family as she navigated the new experience of motherhood. Now with her second, she feels more comfortable and can share that support with others - especially Hannah.

"Having that person who's going through the exact same thing, up in the middle of the night. They understand exactly what you're going through," Gabby said. "It's just nice to feel supported and know you have somebody going through the exact same thing with you."

Hannah and Gabby say they plan to get their kids together a lot as they grow up, which will also give them time to visit and share stories. The women hope their children develop a close friendship like theirs and someday become best friends.

"It's just fun to have people for our littles to hang out with, too," Gabby said. "The chaos follows us, and we all just embrace it and help each other's kids out when we need it. It's just been fun."

Not only have they strengthened their connection to each other, but to the staff at Gundersen Palmer as well. Bethany Hanson is a registered nurse and lactation consultant, and she's worked with both ladies when their other children were born. And she was excited to see both of them back.

Hanson says it's a blessing to work in a small community, getting to see moms like Hannah and Gabby each time they come in to deliver, then following up with them through their delivery and beyond.

"When they show up on my schedule for the next baby, I'm just as excited as they are," she said. "It was really fun to have them back here, and it was just like a huge family. … We had the best time taking care of them. It was really beautiful."

Improvements coming to Palmer OB

Gundersen Palmer, through the work of state Rep. Ashley Hinson, was recently approved for a $1.1 million federal grant to update and modernize its OB unit. The grant followed a visit from Hinson last year in which she toured the hospital, including OB.

"This is part of her big push, and we're just blessed to get this opportunity to keep and maintain rural healthcare," Hanson said. "We all know that these smaller hospitals in rural communities are so important. Some of our patients drive almost an hour just to get to us."

The project will include the addition of one labor, delivery, recovery and postpartum (LDRP) room, for a total of five LDRP rooms, as well as renovations and updates to the current ones. The grant would also provide new, standardized equipment for each room. That will make it easier for physicians and nurses to go room to room and work with the same equipment.

Further, the money will purchase one isolette, five bassinets, three new emergency carts and five external fetal monitors. Many of the improvements, Hanson said, are based on patient feedback the hospital solicits.

"This is going to give us so many extra tools," she said.