A Family of Boone Babies
It’s quite an honor to have a Boone baby, and Brandy Templeton’s had three.
Brandy started working in the Maternal Child Health department as a new nurse graduate 18 years ago and worked her way up to supervisor. “I came here, found my love and my passion and never left,” Brandy said.
By chance, Brandy was set up on a blind date by one of her co-workers. Actually, two separate co-workers from two different jobs tried to set Brandy up with the same man, Levi. They have now been married for 15 years and have 3 daughters together.
‘I’ve never been shy about sharing my birthing experiences,” Brandy said. “I used to teach birthing classes and would share my stories to rooms full of people, so privacy was never an issue. Our three daughters are now ages 13, 11, and 7, and each of their births holds a special place in my heart.”
With her first baby, Brandy asked Deb Oliver, a senior nurse at Boone Hospital, to be her nurse. Deb retired shortly after Brandy’s third baby was born, but delayed her retirement so she could be there for all three births.
“I’ll never forget her saying yes when I asked if she could be my nurse,” Brandy shares. “She was mentoring a younger nurse at the time, and the two of them took me through my induction, knowing how important it was for me to have a low-intervention, vaginal delivery. Deb, with her years of experience and knowledge of those old nurse tricks, was exactly what I needed.”
Brandy had a Pitocin induction (used to stimulate contractions), but it was incredibly smooth. “I remember Deb encouraging me to stay active, using the birthing ball, and moving around,” Brandy said. “At one point, the student nurse and my husband were pressed up against the wall, their eyes wide open when I was in the middle of transitioning.” Transition is the third phase of labor when the cervix dilates from 8 to 10 centimeters. Contractions are very strong and occur every few minutes. Brandy reassured them with a smile, and said, “This is normal. I’m just moving along quickly.”
Brandy’s first daughter was sunny-side up, so she had to do a lot of position changes to get the baby to move down to the correct position. At this time, Brandy opted for an epidural. “Let’s face it, you never know what it’s going to feel like until you’re in the thick of it,” Brandy said.
Thankfully, Deb knew exactly what to do. With Brandy’s permission, she turned o the epidural so that Brandy was able to stand, squat, and try different positions like hands and knees and sideline pushing. Brandy pushed for 2 hours and 45 minutes. It was long and hard she remembers, but it was exactly what she wanted.
With her first delivery, Brandy was so happy with her team, especially Deb and Jennifer Roelands, MD, who were right there with her. Brandy’s mom and aunt were in the room too, making it a really special experience. Brandy and Levi didn’t find out the gender ahead of time, so Levi rushed out to announce to the family in the waiting room that it was a girl. She was named Addison Leaona after Brandy’s grandma, which made the moment even more emotional.
For Brandy’s second pregnancy, they again chose not to find out the gender. is baby decided to stay in the womb until 41 weeks, but Deb was able to rearrange her schedule to be there for the birth. The induction went much quicker than the first. Brandy’s family had taken Addison to lunch, and Brandy texted them saying, “I’m complete, but it’ll be a while. Enjoy your lunch, then come to the hospital.” About five minutes later, their second daughter, Lyla was born. Lyla came so quickly her face was bruised, but it was a beautiful birth experience, and everything went smoothly.
Brandy’s third child, Genevieve, wasn’t due until March, but she decided to make her entrance early. This time, Brandy started laboring while she was at work. She was able to finish her shift with just some minor discomfort. The next day, when Brandy came in, the floor was packed with patients, and Brandy’s manager’s daughter was also in labor that day. Brandy joked, “If I’m in labor, then I’m bringing my own nurse,” and sure enough, Deb drove in from Moberly on her day off to be there for the delivery. Again, things went incredibly quickly. An epidural wasn’t used this time, and Brandy had the amazing experience of using a wireless fetal monitor, which allowed her to move around freely while still being monitored. Genevieve was born at 12:30 on February 15, which was a fun coincidence. Brandy had a baby on the 13th and 15th, but not on her favorite aunt’s birthday on Valentine’s Day.
Levi had been nervous about Brandy going without an epidural, but he was so supportive afterward. Levi said, “I’m so glad you got to do it like that. You did amazing.”
Some of Brandy’s nurse friends popped in and took pictures during the delivery so Levi could be hands-free. “We often joke about our minor in photography, helping to capture special moments for families,” Brandy said. “And it was so nice to have those pictures to look back on. Now, my littlest loves to look at the pictures of her birth and remember how Deb helped her two sisters give her her first bath.”
Having an amazing birth team made all the difference. Brandy was able to get everything she wanted from each of her births, and it’s something she’ll always cherish.
“People sometimes ask if it’s weird to give birth at the hospital where I work, surrounded by people I see every day,” Brandy said. “But honestly, I always feel like a VIP. Whenever one of us has a baby, the whole team celebrates. It’s such a special bond when you’re surrounded by people who genuinely care about you.”
But honestly, I always feel like a VIP. Whenever one of us has a baby, the whole team celebrates. It’s such a special bond when you’re surrounded by people who genuinely care about you.
By Erin Wegner