After a perfectly normal pregnancy, Aimee Boyd had every reason to expect the delivery of her first child at Queensway Carleton Hospital to be nothing out of the ordinary.
The Stittsville resident eagerly awaited the arrival of her baby, whose expected due date had come and gone by the evening of January 5th. That’s the night she and her husband Connor headed to QCH, after her contractions intensified and her dilation progressed. Aimee was finally going to have her baby.
Being admitted into the birthing unit at QCH was “such a positive experience” for Aimee, who described one of her nurses, Fran Bailiff, as “treating me like I was her own daughter.” Aimee found relief from some of her pain through an injection of anesthetic medication known as an epidural. Soon, she was feeling “the best I had in weeks”.
However, complications arose when the hospital’s fetal monitor detected a dropping heart rate, indicating that Aimee’s baby was in distress. Despite all efforts to allow for a natural birth, an emergency cesarean section was necessary.
Aimee later learned that her umbilical cord had been wrapped around her baby’s legs and torsos — not once, but three times. “I was never going to have a vaginal birth. It was never going to happen.”
Aimee, a surgical nurse at QCH, was accustomed to hearing the hospital announce emergency medical codes – except this time, the urgent call was for her and her baby. “It was freaky,” she said, recalling how she was rushed in her bed down the hallway to the OR, where Connor was allowed to join her and stay by her side.
Aimee briefly panicked at the thought of being put to sleep for the procedure, but her anesthesiologist, Dr. Frederic Nguyen, kept her conscious the entire time while Dr. Susan Thorne safely delivered the baby. “What felt like forever was three minutes from when the doctor started my surgery to when Liam was born.”
Her son, weighing 6 pounds and 15 ounces, was delivered strong and healthy at 11:01 p.m. “He was perfect.”
Aimee credits the hospital staff who cared for her with helping her to stay as relaxed as possible during the emergency procedure. They were unflappable, she added.
“It was like a normal day on the job. They were so on the ball. It was very chaotic, and there was a lot going on, but no one was panicking. Everyone was talking to me very calmly, very matter-of-factly, like they were giving me a grocery list”.
“It didn’t make me feel like I was in an emergency, although I definitely was. It just felt like they do this all the time.”
Now fully recovered, Aimee hopes to expand her family with one more child in the future, and plans to return to QCH for the delivery. “I’d be lucky to have the same team again because they were incredible,” she said. “I couldn’t be more grateful for the way they treated and cared for me.
“As a nurse, you aren’t always aware of the difference you’ve made, especially after the patient goes home. But, I’m alive and my son’s alive, and my recovery has been smooth because of how well I was treated in the hospital”.
At QCH Foundation, we are privileged to witness countless stories of life-saving care made possible through the generosity of our donors. Your support ensures QCH has the advanced medical equipment and resources necessary to respond in critical moments. When you give, you’re not just making a donation—you’re helping provide the best possible care for every patient, every time.
Donate now to ensure more families like Aimee receive the life-saving care they deserve.