WASHINGTON HEALTH SYSTEM OB/GYN CARE AND WHS WASHINGTON HOSPITAL HAVE BEEN THERE FOR GINNY MAGGI DURING SOME OF THE MOST IMPORTANT MOMENTS OF HER LIFE. SHE KNOWS SHE CAN COUNT ON WHS TO SUPPORT HER EVERY STEP OF THE WAY ON HER HEALTH JOURNEY.
Ginny, a busy mother and work-from-home personal stylist from Canonsburg, thought her family would be complete after delivering her second child, Gavin, five years ago. A struggle with postpartum depression almost confirmed her decision.
“I thought I was done having children after Gavin, but then I realized in my head and heart that I wanted one more,” Ginny says. “I’m so happy I made that decision.”
In spring 2017, Ginny learned she was pregnant. She never questioned who she would turn to for prenatal care and where she would give birth.
“I had always been a patient of WHS OB/GYN Care and had never considered giving birth anywhere other than WHS Washington Hospital,” Ginny says. “The birth experiences of Gavin and my oldest child, Keira, at the hospital were outstanding.”
DELIVERY UNDER PRESSURE
On March 4, 2018, nearly a week after her due date, Ginny’s water broke, and her routine pregnancy took an unexpected twist. At WHS Washington Hospital, the medical team caring for Ginny diagnosed her with preeclampsia—a condition involving high blood pressure that can occur during the second or third trimester. She also needed medication to induce labor.
“What I thought was going to be a simple, easygoing labor was anything but. However, the nursing staff kept me as upbeat as I could be and took amazing care of me,” Ginny says. “When I held my daughter, Lena, for the first time, all of my sadness and stress about the situation melted away. She was beautiful. The first thing I said, through tears, was, ‘She looks just like Keira.’ It’s funny how
holding your child for the first time can replace the pain your body just went through.”
Ginny spent five days in the hospital after Lena’s birth, receiving treatment for preeclampsia. She credits the nurses’ cheerfulness and attentiveness with keeping her spirits up. Once back at home, Ginny realized Lena was the final piece of the puzzle that had been missing from her family all along.
“Lena has definitely completed our family—and me,” Ginny says. “I have never felt more content than I do now, and I couldn’t picture my life any other way than with her in it.”
CLOSING A CHAPTER
With her family complete, Ginny decided to pursue treatment of her pelvic organ prolapse. This is a condition that occurs when the tissues supporting the pelvic organs—in Ginny’s case, the uterus and bladder—lose strength, causing the organs to drop out of their normal positions. Ginny had started experiencing pain, and she and Malay Sheth, MD, OB/GYN at WHS OB/GYN Care, determined a partial hysterectomy (removal of the uterus) and bladder repair were the best treatment options.
“My emotions were running a bit high knowing that after the surgery, I could never have children again—not that I wanted any more than my three—but coming to terms with the end of my childbearing years weighed on my mind,” Ginny says. “I was both nervous and excited on the day of surgery knowing I would no longer have periods and have to worry about planning around that each month.”
The surgery, which took place this past December at WHS Washington Hospital, gave Ginny complete relief from the pain she had been living with before. Now, she’s focusing on her family and career, and she encourages others to support local women’s care.
“Women’s needs tend to fall by the wayside, so it’s a wonderful feeling knowing that WHS puts them and those of their families first,” Ginny says. “Donations to women’s services at WHS go a long way toward ensuring women feel important and are taken seriously when it comes to our health. I appreciate all that WHS Washington Hospital has done for me over the years and continues doing for me.”