May 6, 2021

Precious Moments

Central

The Monticello Birthing Center Gets Creative

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused many hardships, but one of life’s most precious moments – the birth of a child – has continued to provide happiness and hope to many families this past year. Jenna Buganski, RN, Manager of the Monticello Birthing Center, knows first-hand what that feels like.

Her son, Gordie, was born the day the first COVID-19 case was confirmed in Seattle. When she returned from maternity leave, the pandemic had changed everything. “When I got back to work, we were in full COVID mode,” said Buganski. Safety protocols and visitor restrictions prompted her team to adapt how they delivered care – something they have gotten quite good at over the years.

We’re used to being creative when needed, especially with our military deliveries.

“We’re used to being creative when needed, especially with our military deliveries,” said Buganski. These are situations when a partner is deployed and not able to be present for the birth of their child. “For those births, we often provide that extra encouragement and support that a loved one would normally give. Sometimes we’ll have someone handling a tablet running a Zoom call as the deployed partner is sitting in a bunker, wearing headphones, watching the birth of their child. Finding a way for them to be part of this special moment and seeing the smile is so special.”

“Whatever it takes” spirit

During COVID, she saw that same “do whatever it takes” spirit come alive. “Early on, one of our nurses got a list of people expecting to deliver with us, and started calling each patient directly,” she said. “We made sure they knew what to expect when they got here, and we asked what questions they had. As a mom who has shared many of those same fears, I can tell you it was appreciated.”

Doing what’s right for the patient motivates Buganski. That’s why she’s passionate about integration at CentraCare. “I love connecting with so many different minds in our organization to share evidence-based practices and ideas about what we’re all doing. No matter what CentraCare door you walk through, we want patients to receive the same high level of care.”

Spinning Babies

One example of sharing ideas is when Buganski sent her nurses to learn about Spinning Babies, a natural approach that uses gravity and positioning during childbirth. “Once our team learned about this, we shared it with others,” she said. “Now, other teams are going to this training, and we hope to start a ‘train the trainer’ effort here. To see it take hold is awesome.”

Buganski loves her job and says her sister inspired her. “After my older sister became a nurse, I knew that’s what I wanted and she encouraged me,” she said. Today, that bond between sisters is made even stronger by the passion they share for caregiving. “My sister is a Med/Surg nurse in Bismarck, ND, and has been working on their COVID unit. We haven’t seen each other for a long time because of the pandemic, but we talk and rely on each other, and try to be there for each other.”

Because that’s what caregivers do. And that’s what nursing is all about.