Mile Bluff Obstetrics: Care and support when it's needed most

When life provides challenges and struggles, support and encouragement can often be found in unexpected places. For one local woman, the care and support she needed during her pregnancy was found at Mile Bluff Medical Center in Mauston.

In early 2020, Kacy M. of Wisconsin Dells was 22 weeks pregnant with her first child. One day as she worked in Mauston, she felt a sudden gush of blood. Even though she was receiving prenatal care at a different medical facility, Kacy rushed to Mile Bluff’s Emergency Room where she met Mile Bluff’s midwife, Emily Walden.

After examining Kacy, Emily found that the expecting mom was in premature labor. Kacy went on to deliver her daughter, Autumn, at 22 weeks. Because she was born so early, sadly, Autumn did not survive.

As the parents grieved, Emily and the obstetrics (OB) team provided Kacy and her husband, Nick, with the support they needed as they mourned the loss of their daughter. It was through this experience that the couple decided to switch their care to Mile Bluff. With Emily’s guidance, Kacy and Nick decided to try again for a baby, but unfortunately, in July 2020, Kacy experienced a miscarriage.

Emily was determined to help Kacy have a baby. “Emily found that I have an incompetent cervix. This means my cervix isn’t strong enough to support a pregnancy after 22 weeks,” explained Kacy. “When I became pregnant for the third time, Emily scheduled me for regular cervical length checks just to monitor everything. She also had me receive progesterone (hormone) injections to lower my risk of miscarriage.”

As Kacy progressed through her third pregnancy, she was grateful that Mile Bluff had the services she needed so close to home. With regular support and encouragement from the Mile Bluff team, Kacy knew she was in good hands, especially when another emergency arose. “At my 22-week ultrasound, we found out that my cervix had already shortened to 1 centimeter. I was immediately sent to Gundersen to have a cervical cerclage (a stitch) put in my cervix to keep my baby inside and growing,” explained Kacy. “It was a super scary situation because I was only 22 weeks pregnant, just like when we lost our other baby. I’m so glad that Emily had scheduled those checks so we could monitor everything.”

Kacy made it to 35 weeks of pregnancy, and was cleared to deliver her baby at Mile Bluff. The cervical cerclage was removed and Kacy went into labor the same day. After a short labor, Kacy and Nick welcomed their daughter, Lucy Elizabeth, into the world. Lucy weighed 7 pounds, 5 ounces and measured 19 ¾ inches long.

Since Lucy was born early, she did need a little help breathing. Doctor Jenna Sebranek and Mile Bluff's respiratory care team were in the delivery room to check Lucy's breathing and to provide the care she needed. “Sometimes when you go to a smaller hospital, you don’t think they’re going to have all the services you need, but at Mile Bluff, there were a ton of resources,” praised Kacy. “Overall, the staff was just great and very supportive. It was nice to see how well the different departments came together and worked together for Lucy. It was seamless.”

Kacy continued, “Emily was just fantastic! I would 100-percent recommend her. After I lost our second pregnancy, I didn’t think I could do it again, but Emily cheered me on and supported me. She was there for me at all times, and I really needed that after the babies we lost.”

Having a baby is an amazing experience. When expecting moms choose the Mile Bluff OB team, they can find expertise and support they can trust. Mile Bluff’s physicians, midwife and nurses are specialists in caring for moms at every stage of pregnancy. For more information about Mile Bluff’s birth center and pregnancy care team, visit www.milebluff.com. To make an appointment with any of the pregnancy care providers, call 608-847-5000.