�O�ER ��OR�
�ove Tahir Thomas and �eth Gilardi-Thomas �elcomed Emery �ei Thomas in April ���� . �At no point did they not put me first , � says �eth of the nursesatHac�ensac��niversity MedicalCenter .
PHOTO CO��TESY O� THE THOMAS �AMI�Y
Child�irth and COVID� �elivering Exceptional Care in Extraordinary Circumstances
B� BROO�E PERRY SPECIA� TO HEA�TH ��A�TE��Y
�hen asked by her colleagues to write about COVID from anurse ’ s perspective , Westwood resident Jennifer Vega embracedthe opportunity to share her story . Aregistered nurse in the maternity unit at HackensackUniversityMedical Center , she recalls the early days of the pandemic with amix of pride and profound appreciation . “ Tosay it was an adjustment fornurses is an understatement . The learning curve was unlike anything we had ever experienced and nothing could have prepared us for the year that laid ahead .”
She and her colleaguesmet the challenge head-on , adjusting to an array of changing protocols while staying laser-focused on the needs of their patients . “ A time in their lives when they ’ re supposed to be at the heightof happiness hadturned into days of sadness and despair ,” she wrote . She and herfellow nurses became not only skilled caregivers , but also friends and confidants to patients whofaced the prospect of giving birth alone , without the support of a loved one by their side .
Indeed , the last 15 monthshave presented unprecedented challenges in hospital maternity wards , inspiring nurses , physicians and other healthcare professionals to find new and creative ways to deliverpersonalized carefor expecting
� SPRING 2021 | THE RECORD HEALTH QUARTERLY | PREPARED BY THE ADVERTISING DEPT .