Baby Isaac is first to be treated in Adena's new Level II nursery

     It was the scare of a lifetime for Lindsy and Wes Gallaugher. The parents of three young and rambunctious boys never imagined their newest son would need to be admitted to a special care unit following his birth.

     Fortunately, that care was available in the new Level II nursery at the recently opened Women and Children’s Center at Adena Health System.

     After 23 hours of labor, Lindsy was ecstatic when her newborn son, Isaac, was brought to her.

      “He looked good initially,” she said. “Then, all of a sudden, his face started to turn blue.”

     Isaac was quickly taken to the Level II Nursery for closer examination. In the meantime, Lindsy developed some complications that required additional care.

     Eventually, she and her husband were reunited with Isaac in the Special Care Nursery– the first of its kind at Adena and in south-central Ohio. By that time, an IV was inserted in Isaac’s 6-pound 4-ounce, 19 ¼–inch long body and he was placed on CPAP.

     Continuous positive airway pressure, commonly called CPAP, is a type of respiratory support used in babies needing extra help after birth. It also is used in adults with any number of respiratory conditions. 

     Shortly after arriving in the Level II nursery, pediatrician at Adena began “live consultation” with a neonatologist at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus.

     By way of telemedicine video conferencing, the Columbus neonatologist was satisfied that Adena physicians and nurses had everything under control, which was great news for the Gallaughers.

     “There had been some talk about the possibility of needing to transfer Isaac to Nationwide Children’s,” Lindsy said.

     Living just 40 minutes away from the hospital, she and her husband hoped Isaac would not need to travel to Columbus for care – a huge distance considering they would need to leave their other three boys behind, at least temporarily.

     After four days in Adena’s Level II nursery, two days of which Isaac was on CPAP and the other two days on oxygen, Isaac’s respiratory complications turned around very quick, according to Jackie Stansberry, Director of the Women and Children’s Center.

     Since being released from the hospital, Isaac is home and doing well, his parents said.

     “He’s a very healthy baby,” said Lindsy, who commended the efforts of nurses and physicians at the Women and Children’s Center. “The care was absolutely excellent,” she said.

     Her husband said Isaac quickly gained strength after being placed on CPAP. And from that point on, “Everything went wonderfully,” he said.

     Isaac was both the first baby to be admitted to Adena’s Level II nursery and the first baby to receive CPAP at the hospital, according to Stansberry.

     Earlier this year, Adena was certified as a Level II nursery, enabling the health system to provide more advanced capabilities for babies who need close observation or extra help after birth, including CPAP

     Isaac’s stay is one example of how babies who are requiring a more intense treatment plan will benefit from the new and advanced Level II services provided at Adena, Stansberry said. 

     About Adena Health System

     Adena Health System is an independent, not-for-profit and locally controlled healthcare organization serving the needs of 13 counties in south-central Ohio and employing more than 2,000 people. Adena provides specialty services typically found in larger medical centers, like open heart surgery, cardiac catheterization, cancer care and advanced orthopedic procedures, including reverse shoulder surgery, total joint replacement and minimally invasive spine surgery. The health system is based in Chillicothe, Ohio.