Nerves Lain to Rest, Once and For All
Imagine experiencing extreme anxiety at the thought of visiting a doctor or being admitted into the hospital. For years, this fear has been a reality for Jolene Bogdan. When she became pregnant with her first child, the excitement from friends and family was soon overshadowed by doubts that she would not be able to emotionally handle the many doctors’ visits or an overnight hospital stay.
Jolene’s nervousness began when she was diagnosed, at age 28, with an underactive thyroid during a routine doctor visit. Years later, and eight months pregnant, her anxiety severely worsened after attending a birthing class at the Magee Womancare Center in Monroeville, PA. Discussions regarding her upcoming delivery resulted in sleepless nights and increased concern.
Jolene felt like a ticking time bomb as her due date approached. She experienced weekly panic attacks between 3 and 4 a.m. where she would nervously pace the hallway outside her bedroom. Ironically, on the morning of December 26, 2009 she went into labor at her usual time of stress, 4:03 a.m.
Labor continued through the early morning hours. When her water broke at 8:30 a.m., and contractions were close together, Jolene and her husband, Blair, met their ob-gyn, Dr. Harold Wiesenfeld, at Magee- Womens Hospital of UPMC for the delivery.
Surprisingly, Jolene felt a sense of relief from the moment she arrived at Magee. A labor and delivery nurse took her into triage to help Jolene with severe back labor pains in the moments leading up to the birth. “When I was finally ready to deliver, I was preparing for a marathon. But from my first push till the baby was in the doctor’s hands was only 15 minutes, and the whole experience was more like a sprint,” Jolene recalls.
 Baby Parker, weighing 7 lbs. and 7oz., was unable to cry immediately due to the rapid delivery and the umbilical cord being wrapped around his neck twice. Dr. Wiesenfeld kept Jolene and Blair well informed and calm throughout the frantic process. In addition, he was effectively able to perform the cord blood collection the Bogdans requested.
“This event should have made me hysterical, but the medical staff was so amazing that believe it or not, I never even got upset,” she explains. “I feel so lucky to have been blessed with a beautiful healthy baby boy, and with the care the staff at Magee gave me.”
Jolene would like to express gratitude to her nurse, Autumn, who cared for her and Parker in the evening hours of her hospital stay, making her feel as though she was welcomed in a friend’s home. She also thanks nursing assistant Toni, who kept Jolene smiling through the many blood pressure checks that previously induced anxiety.
“I could never put into words just how special this experience was, but I hope that this message will give you an idea,” she says.
Parker’s birth at Magee has brought an end to any anxiety Jolene may have had regarding hospital and doctor visits. Thanks to the calming environment that Magee provided them, the Bogdans are looking forward to trying for another child this winter.
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