Doha, August 16, 2015: Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) delivered more than 21,000 babies across its hospital network in 2014, including Staff Nurse Kristine Luzano’s son.
The proud mom of a now active one year old, Ms. Luzano has worked at Hamad General Hospital since 2008 and recalls the anxiety she felt as she and her husband rushed to the Emergency Department at Women’s Hospital for the birth of her baby.
“I was 41 weeks pregnant with my first child, one week overdue, and very anxious. I was awakened at 4 am with contractions. As a nurse, I knew what to expect but as a first time mom I was very nervous,” recalls Ms. Luzano.
Like all maternity patients, upon arrival at hospital, Ms. Luzano was attached to an electronic fetal monitor (EFM) to record her baby's heart rate and the frequency and duration of her contractions. After being monitored for some time nurses realized that her labor was not progressing and that it would be necessary to use medication to bring on (or induce) labor. Ms. Luzano says she was worried but that the support she received from the nurses and midwives made a difficult situation bearable.
“I was transferred to the labor room and I waited anxiously for the next step. I did not have any family in the room and the nurses calmed me down when they saw I was nervous about the epidural catheter insertion. The attending nurse stayed close and even refused to take her break. She encouraged me and made sure that I was calm and understood what the doctors were doing,” she says.
After 15 hours of labor, doctors advised her that it would be necessary to have a caesarean section due to the baby’s position; at 7 pm that evening her son was born. Ms. Luzano says nursing staff were instrumental in helping her through the labor and delivery processes, providing both emotional and physical support.
“The nurses were like my sisters. They provided reassurance, encouragement and praise. They comforted me physically and provided me with information and advice about what was happening. They helped me communicate with the rest of my healthcare team,” says Ms. Luzano.
A year later, Ms. Luzano says that her experiences as both a patient and a working mother have changed how she cares for her patients, stating that it has made her more empathetic.
“Being a patient taught me that the simplest act from a nurse can make a huge impact. It also reminded me of the important role we play as advocates for our patient’s health, safety and dignity,” she said.
In recent years, HMC has made significant investment in the growth and expansion of maternity services in Dukhan, Al Wakra and Al Khor hospitals. HMC’s unified system of healthcare ensures patients can expect uniformly high standards of care wherever and whenever they choose to access obstetric and gynecological services and neonatal and postnatal care.
