Ninth birth experience different from rest for Drzycimski family

SIOUX CENTER – Kate Drzycimski and her husband, Mark, have vast experience when it comes to births and babies.

But their ninth baby was different even for them.

Mark and Kate Drzycimski, along with their eight
other children, welcomed baby Noah David into
their family on Friday, Jan. 6. He was born in
their home in Sioux Falls, SD, with the assistance
of midwife Pam Hulstein of Promise Community
Health Center of Sioux Center. He was the first
baby of the year for Promise's midwifery team.

Unlike their previous eight children, Noah David was born in their home in Sioux Falls, SD, with the assistance of certified nurse midwife Pam Hulstein and nurse Kari Ney of Promise Community Health Center of Sioux Center, IA.

Kate said it was a wonderful experience.

“I could write a book,” she said. “It was so much more comfortable, so much more down to earth, so much better to be near my family afterward, so much smoother first 24 hours, and I felt so much closer to Pam and Kari than any other midwife/nurse team I’ve had before.”

Baby Noah also was first baby of 2017 for Promise’s midwifery team.

He was born at 5:17 a.m. Friday, Jan. 6, weighing 7 pounds, 13, ounces, and measuring 22 inches.

Kate had worked previously with midwives from a larger facility, but the experience had become “less personal” and “more conventional and institutional” like typical obstetrics as the practice grew. So she sought midwifery care at Promise for her ninth child.

In the past, she also had considered the idea of having a home birth. This time, she went ahead because her family is part of a Christian cost-sharing program that not only would cover the cost of the home birth but encouraged it over a hospital birth.

“That little extra encouragement was all I needed,” she said.

Abram Drzycimski holds his baby
brother, Noah. Baby Noah has eight
brothers and sisters to love on him.

She was “very grateful” for their experience with the Promise midwifery team.

“Pam was a breath of fresh air – so much more down to earth and with many tricks up her sleeve,” Kate said with a smile. “She was able to better address many of my past issues with pregnancy, delivery and postpartum. I always felt in control of my own care – not badgered into certain decisions but guided through the process. And the true and sincere compassion for you as a patient that both her and Kari show is nothing short of phenomenal.”

When Kate held her newborn baby in her arms for the first time, she said it was a little different than with her other births.

“I can’t put my finger on it because it has always been amazing,” she said. “I spend that last half hour of birth totally disconnected – it seems – from everything, just focused and lost in the overwhelming task of delivering a baby. When it is finally over, and I am suddenly aware of all that is around me, and that includes a precious new life, it is a moment to remember. And when that moment includes the dim lamplight of your own room, with the quiet voices of just a few, it is truly incredible.”

Now, baby Noah has eight older brothers and sisters to love on him: Will, 17; Liam, 15; Abram, 13; Josiah, 11; Addie, 9; Elias, 8; James, 6; and Helen, 3.

“All are in love,” Kate said. “It was so nice to have unlimited time and to let a few come in to meet and greet throughout the more – so much better than a rushed hospital visit with all the kids at once.”

Promise Community Health Center of Sioux Center is the only Federally Qualified Health Center serving the far northwest corner of Iowa. Promise provides medical, prenatal, dental, vision and behavioral health services. To learn more, visit www.promisechc.org and watch this video. To read more Promise news, visit promisechcnews.blogspot.com. To see more Promise Baby announcements and advice, visit the midwifery team's Wonderfully Made blog, promisechcmidwives.blogspot.com.

BEHIND THE NAME:

Kate and Mark Drzycimski were having a hard time coming up with a name for a boy after having six other “amazing sons" in their family.

Noah David

So this time, Mark took on the task of coming up with a boy’s name and Kate a girl’s name.

As he pondered the name, he got a lot of input from their other children.

“He eventually declared he had made a decision and was keeping it a secret,” Kate said. “This is really not like him, and I found it amusing and happily agreed to wait until the baby came.”

She said she will long remember the unveiling of the name:

“So, who is this child?” I asked my husband minutes after birth.

“Noah David.”

“David for the seventh son?” I ventured. (In the Bible, David was the seventh son of Jesse.)

“Yes,” he replied. And with his characteristic half-joking but mostly serious expression, he answered my unspoken question. “And Noah for the state the world is in.”