'A birthday party every day': Nurses in Altru's OB unit pregnant at the same time

Mar. 3—GRAND FORKS — It wasn't planned this way, but four nurses in the obstetrics unit at Altru Hospital, pregnant at the same time, consider it a happy coincidence.

Christine Iseminger, Laura Clemetson and Amber Hinderscheid are due to add to Grand Forks population in the next few months. Allyson Halvorson gave birth to a girl, Elsy, on Feb. 13, at Altru.

"No, it wasn't planned" to all become pregnant at the same time, said Halvorson, who has worked in Altru's Family Birthing Center for nearly nine years. "All of us wanted a baby."

The nurses there know full well the process of labor and delivery; it's the primary focus of their workday lives. When it's time to deliver, the three still-pregnant nurses will become patients and receive care that they give expectant mothers daily on the hospital's fourth floor.

Halvorson, whose background includes work in a nursing home, said, "I always wanted to be in labor and delivery, supporting people through one of the biggest events in their lives."

"I loved women's and children's health, and this blends both," she said. "I tell people I get to be part of a birthday party every day. It's very rewarding."

A mutually supportive group, the nurses say it is reassuring to work with people they know and trust, and who understand exactly what they are going through as expectant moms.

Halvorson, who's raising three children with husband Bjorn Halvorson in their East Grand Forks home, said, among the OB staff, "we usually have somebody pregnant up here. We're very family-oriented.

"(Co-workers) will usually ask, how are you feeling?" she said. "They'll say, sit down. Here's a chair."

And, at the time of delivery, Halvorson said, "being with people you know is nice too."

When, as an OB nurse who's about to deliver, "you can advocate for yourself a little bit better," Hinderscheid said.

Being pregnant at the same time as three co-workers "is really fun," said Clemetson, who, with her husband, is expecting their second child in mid-May.

"We can kind of compare notes all the time," she said with a laugh. "We like talking about each other."

Laura and Ryan Clemetson, of rural Grand Forks, will find out the gender of their baby at birth, she said. Their daughter is "pretty excited" about the prospect of becoming a big sister, "or as excited as a two-year-old can be."

Hinderscheid, who has worked in the Altru OB unit for nearly nine years, is expecting her second child with husband, Cory, in May. At home in Grand Forks, they're raising a 3-year-old son, whose attitude about a sibling "changes daily," she said. "He's excited about feeding it and sharing his toys."

At Altru, when she accepted her first nursing job, she chose the obstetrics unit over the emergency room, she said.

"It's fun to be in this part of people's lives. Generally, it's a happy place to work," Hinderscheid said. "When it's sad, it's really sad. We help our patients through those emotions."

In the OB unit, "you never know what you're going to do" day to day, she said. "You could be (providing) post-partum (care), C-sections, labor and delivery — it's never boring."

Iseminger is expecting her fifth child in July. She and husband Cory Iseminger, who live in Grand Forks, have four boys, ages 10, 8, 5 and 2. "They're excited," she said.

The Isemingers do not know the gender of their "bun in the oven."

"It'll be a surprise," Iseminger said. "A girl would be really nice. The boys don't know what they'll do with a girl. They want another boy they can wrestle with."

Iseminger, who has worked in the Altru's Birthing Center for 12 years, said, "I love the variety in the job."

Some days she's caring for moms and babies; other days "you go into the operating room for a C-section," or she's helping women through labor and delivery. In some cases, "we're trying to keep them pregnant, (because) they're sick or their water breaks too early."

"Every day is different," Iseminger said. "You never know what you're going to walk into."

Clemetson, who has worked in Altru's obstetrics unit for two-and-a-half years, said she most enjoys "getting to know my patients. In OB, you (provide) one-to-one nursing with your patients, so you get a lot of time to get to know them and help them through the labor and delivery process."

And "it's fun to be around a positive atmosphere," she said.

The obstetrics staff will have to adjust to these four nurses being on maternity leave as they bond with their new little ones.

"Staffing is always an issue, right now especially in hospitals," Clemetson said. But the nurses' due dates are somewhat staggered, so "hopefully, (the absences) won't be too bad for them."

Clemetson is planning a 12-week maternity leave, and she expects the others are too, she said.

The workforce shortage is affecting health professions along with many other occupations, Hinderscheid said. "The nursing shortage is everywhere."

But, she said, even though she and the other new mom-nurses on the OB unit will be away on maternity leave, she's not too worried. Her co-workers have always been willing "to help out when needed."

"We have a great team, a good environment," Hinderscheid said. "It's a fun place to work."

The extensive knowledge and insight gained from years of experience can give rise to concerns when it comes to delivering their own babies, the nurses say. More than other expectant moms who are not health professionals, they know what complications could mean.

"If something comes up, you can go to work and talk with a resident (physician) about it," Iseminger said. "It's good to have people that understand what you're going through. It's a good sounding board."

But the nurses also know what signs and symptoms are "totally normal" and not cause for worry, Iseminger said.

At the time of delivery, it can be "scary," Hinderscheid said, "because you know too much, almost."

Halvorson said, "Even though we know what could go wrong, I know how well we respond — and that's very calming. There are always unknowns; (childbirth) is always surprising — we coach (moms) through that."

"I know that when I'm there," Iseminger said, "I'm in really good hands — and that adds a lot of comfort, because we see all the good things — and we see all the complications that happen too. So sometimes you know too much.

"But it's nice to be able to trust the people that are caring for you because you know you're in good hands, you work with them every day and you trust them with your own patients, so you trust them with yourself too," Iseminger said.

"You see a little too much sometimes," Clemetson said. Knowing more about complications with labor and delivery can make one "anxious — but, for the most part, it definitely helps."

As an expectant mom, she feels bolstered and supported by the doctors and nurses, with whom she works so closely.

"I work with a really really good team," Clemetson said, "and they give me a lot of confidence in their ability to handle anything and everything."

Sharing the months of pregnancy with other nurses, especially co-workers in an obstetrics unit, is a positive experience, Iseminger said.

"It's always nice to have people walking the same journey with you," she said.