Roper St. Francis Mount Pleasant Hospital - Babies

Roy and Dulcilene Wint were already raising a teenager and a toddler. As their youngest one continued to grow up, they considered adding a little brother or sister to the clan.

“Let’s try one more time,” Dulci recalled saying.

Trying took about a year. After many frustrating months, Dulci discovered the good news. “I was so happy,” she remembered. “When it finally happened, I was really, really happy.”

“I was excited. We’d been trying for a year,” Roy added. “When we found out it was a girl, I was excited.”

Roy is a stepfather to Yasmine, now 16. Together, Roy and Dulci had Daniel, now 4.

Late at night on Jan. 2, 2011, Dulci began to feel some cramping. She decided to let Roy sleep as she packed their bags.

“Time goes by. It’s 12:30 and I realized my contractions were getting worse,” she said.

By 2 a.m., with the pain “almost unbearable,” Dulci decided to wake Roy. Around 4 a.m., the couple left for Roper St. Francis Mount Pleasant Hospital. By 7:31 a.m. on Jan. 3, Isabelle had arrived – at 7 pounds, 4 ounces. She quickly grabbed her parents’ hearts.

“She was a very easy baby, a very sweet baby. She smiles all the time,” Dulci gushed.

“If you make eye contact with Isabelle, she’s going to smile,” said Roy.

The Wints praised the Roper St. Francis Mount Pleasant staff for a wonderful experience.

“I was very pleased with the whole process, from the time I got there to the time I left the hospital,” said Dulci.

She recalled a kind nurse, Michelle, who helped her each step of the way. Dulci even loved the food.

“I felt like I was in a hotel, to be honest,” she said.

Because Isabelle was Roper St. Francis Mount Pleasant’s first baby of the year, the staff sent her home with extra goodies. Dulci believes Mount Pleasant Magazine’s first baby stork basket will be special for one Mount Pleasant family.

Roper St. Francis Healthcare, with established hospitals in downtown Charleston and West Ashley, moved into the baby-welcoming business in Mount Pleasant in November 2010.

“Roper St. Francis felt it was important to establish a strongerpresence in the East Cooper area to better serve the health care needs of our established patient base, as well as expand our patient base through population growth,” said Hospital CEO John Sullivan.

The hospital, located at 3500 Highway 17 North, houses a mother and baby unit that includes seven birthing rooms, two C-section rooms and 10 postpartum rooms.

“Each (birthing) room is furnished with birthing beds, rocking chairs, a flat screen TV, sleep chairs and maternal and infant monitoring equipment,” explained Happy Everett, clinical manager, labor and delivery. “The postpartum rooms are designed to help you rest and bond with your new infant. The nursery is equipped with 12 bassinets and advanced technology to care for our most delicate babies, including neonatology support 24/7 in the event babies require extra care.”

The campus offers several classes for expectant families, including childbirth preparation, infant CPR, breastfeeding, babysitting preparation and baby care. In addition, there is a post-delivery breastfeeding support group and a full-time lactation consultant.

The hospital offers a treat for new moms who might need a little pampering after they give birth. Women choose from three gifts: a waffle knit robe with terry lining, a 30-minute massage with an aroma scalp treatment or a 30-minute massage with a paraffin hand or foot treatment.

Roper St. Francis Mount Pleasant Hospital expects to deliver about 400 babies in 2012. Sullivan looks forward to the competition to deliver the first baby of the year.

“It’s fun and we welcome it,” Sullivan said. “Competition makes everybody better, and the patient wins.”