"Shown in this group picture starting from left is Lan Burnette (OT), who will deliver a little girl in January; Christina Haley who just delivered her twin boys Charlie and Cooper on 11/11/22; Kelly Schroeder who delivered her baby boy Clark Jacob on 11/10/22 and at the far right, is Gabby Conde who delivered her baby boy Anthony Matthew on 11/09/22."

 

It wasn’t long before Nikesha Upshaw, manager of therapy services at Brookwood Baptist, started to notice a trend happening among her female employees.“After the first one came to me to let me know she was expecting, of course, I was happy for her. Then, there was the second and it just kept happening, I finally said to myself, ‘Goodness! There’s got to be something in the water,’” Upshaw smiled and said.

The team shared a photo of four expecting moms working during their shift all while they were in the later stages of their pregnancy. Since that photo, three of her employees have delivered their littles ones and another bundle of joy will arrive in January.

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Gabby’s Story - Meet Anthony Matthew Conde – DOB: 11/09/22

Among these three ladies who all delivered three days apart, Gabby was the first to deliver at Brookwood Women’s Center. She welcomed her little boy Anthony Matthew Conde on Nov. 9^th weighing 8lb and 13 oz. She is a patient of Dr. Sarah Aultman, OBGYN with Alabama Women’s Specialists. When asked how she felt about going through this experience with her coworkers, she said, “It was exciting going through this journey together. Working in a hospital all day on your feet can be challenging when you are pregnant. Toward the end, we would encourage each other to “hang in there”. It was rewarding to see us all make it to the finish line together!”
Gabby is a physical therapy assistant at Brookwood Baptist and has been a member of the team for 5 years.

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Kelly’s Story – Meet Clark Jacob Schroeder – DOB: 11/10/22

Just a day later, Nikesha said she was excited to hear from Kelly that she welcomed her newest addition also at Brookwood Women’s Center. Clark Jacob made his appearance on Nov. 10^th weighing 8 lbs 10 oz. Kelly is also a patient of Dr. Sarah Aultman, OBGYN with Alabama Women’s Specialists.

“It was such a comforting experience knowing my coworkers/friends were going through this life changing event at the same time,” Kelly shared. She went on to say, “We communicated throughout our whole hospital stays’ asking each other for advice and providing encouragement through all of it. My experience would have been so different without Gabby and Christina being there.”

Kelly Schroeder is a speech language pathologist at Brookwood Baptist and has been a member of team for 1 year.

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Christina’s Story – Meet Twins Charlie & Cooper – DOB: 11/11/22

Nikesha said her team rounded out their week of baby excitement upon hearing Christina’s news of delivering her twin boys Charlie (5 lbs, 7oz) and Cooper (5lbs, 12 oz) on November 11th. Christina is a patient of Dr. Heather Deisher with Brookwood Women’s Health. “This was my first pregnancy, so it was so much fun going through it with co-workers who were all due around the same time,” Christina said. “Comparing symptoms, guessing due dates, and watching each other grow, I feel like it added a layer to this already special experience and made it even better!”
Christina is an occupational therapist at Brookwood Baptist and has been a member of team for 3 years.

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Given the rehab team was aware of that these moms were expecting, they had time to make staffing accommodations while these moms are away. This department’s next good news of another bundle of joy won’t be until January of 2023 when their teammate Lan is expected to deliver. However, Nikesha did get news from two other employees that they are also expecting littles ones in the near future!

“This is definitely an exciting time for these ladies and we certainly wish them all the best,” she said. “As a long time employee myself (25 years), it means so much to me to know these ladies choose Brookwood for their career and to care for them at such pivotal moments in their lives.”

If you are interested in learning more about joining the Brookwood team, there are positions open in the rehab department. To apply visit this website, click here jobs.tenethealth.com/brookwood .