CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — CHRISTUS Spohn Hospital South received two significant designations from the state of Texas and, to many, this shows how much care workers put forth in helping area mothers-to-be.
Jessica Mullan has entered a new journey: motherhood.
She gave birth at CHRISTUS Spohn Hospital South, where she and her husband welcomed their baby boy to this world.
However, there were some challenges.
“He wasn’t eating very well, and he was just -- kinda like he seemed kinda irritated and agitated, so they did a lot of blood work on him," Mullan said. "They found that he had a blood infection.”
The doctor decided to keep the baby in the NICU for a week, treating him with antibiotics. Jessica and her baby were in good hands: The Texas Department of State Health Services labels Spohn South as a level 4 maternal and level 3 neonatal care center.
“We worked very hard to get this designation," said administrative director of women services Allison Apple. "It takes a lot of planning, it takes a lot of focus on quality and safety, a lot of training. We have very well-trained nurses, very well-trained respiratory therapists.”
Apple said these achievements mean the hospital is considered No. 1 here in South Texas, serving mothers with risk factors in area counties.
“And that’s very important because if a mom comes to us whose needing Level 4 care, it’s very likely that her baby will need to go to our Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, so we need to be able to provide that quality and level of care to the baby and the mom,” Apple said.
Mullan said her baby was born 6 lbs., 14 ozs., and 21 inches long. In their time in the NICU, she said she saw much progress within that week, including that her baby no longer needed a feeding tube.
“Seeing progression made me feel a lot better," she said. "And then, of course, getting to take him home was like the best feeling ever."
Mullan said the team that cared for her and the care they provided was a big help.
“Everybody over there was very informative, and just very welcoming and just gave me a lot of peace of mind, so it was great,” said Mullan.
