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It was supposed to be a two-day business trip for a Fargo couple.
Clayton Cottman and his fiancé Jania (Nia) Thomas of Fargo made their way to Minot to join their fellow entrepreneurs at the 2023 Pride of Dakota Showcase. Their product: Uncle Charlie’s Gourmet Snacks – crunchy morsels that melt in your mouth like a decadent dessert.
But two days turned into two months when Nia, then six months pregnant, developed strong contractions that sent her into labor three months early.
“As we were leaving the trade show I started feeling some really sharp pains,” Nia recalls. “I thought maybe it was Braxton Hicks (uterine contractions sometimes called false labor). I wasn’t sure; maybe I could brush it off.”
Early labor and far from home.
The couple returned to their hotel room and Nia called her OB-GYN in Fargo to get an expert opinion. In the doctor’s view, the contractions were something that needed to be taken seriously.
“I knew just from her body language that this was becoming a real emergency and no way did we have time to try to make it back to Fargo,” Clayton stated. “We needed to try to find the nearest hospital as soon as possible.”
In that regard, the anxious parents-to-be were in luck.
Trinity Health had opened its new Healthcare Campus and Medical District just six months earlier with an entire floor dedicated to Women’s and Children’s Services. The Family Birth Center, Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) and Pediatrics Unit are all situated in close range, with numerous family-friendly comforts and conveniences. Most importantly, the center is staffed with experienced OB-GYN specialists and care teams skilled in managing emergency and complex deliveries.
OB-GYN physician Jennifer Johnson, MD, reassured the couple they were in capable hands and that Trinity Health was well-qualified to care for their premature newborn.
“I remember at one point talking with Dr. Johnson and still being in a little bit of denial, like – can you give her something to make it stop? And Dr. Johnson was like, no, Clayton, this baby is coming tonight, so be ready.”
By morning, Clayton and Nia had given birth to a beautiful baby girl. Kaidence, arriving as she did three months early, was whisked into the warm, high-tech comfort of the NICU, where an experienced team of neonatologists, neonatal nurse practitioners, nurses and other clinicians were ready with special technology and developmental care to help Kaidence grow and develop.
Trinity Health’s NICU becomes home for family.
A regional referral center for premature and ill newborns, Trinity’s NICU is designed to support the whole family while providing for the infant’s physical and developmental needs. There are 12 single rooms, plus additional rooms to accommodate twins and triplets. One room is designed for parents and baby to stay the night before leaving the NICU to prepare for the transition home.
Each room contains dedicated neonatal care equipment and a space for families to relax, rest and bond with their baby. A family lounge is also available with a kitchenette and seating areas if families wish to step away from the bedside. The NICU also features two nurses’ stations with central monitoring and a dedicated milk prep room to ensure safe feeding.
Parents are an essential part of baby’s care team and are encouraged to be with their baby as often as they’d like. In Clayton and Nia’s case, that meant Nia would stay in Minot to be with their daughter while Clayton traveled back and forth from Minot to Fargo to tend to business and other matters. Their situation drew support from the Trinity Health Foundation, which chipped in with meal vouchers and other support.
Support, love and new friends.
“Trinity supported us in the way of being so very accommodating, allowing us to room in here at the hospital and not have to worry about hotels and so much travel back and forth,” Clayton said. “It’s been a lifesaver, a game changer for us as a family. There’s no way we would’ve been able to handle the hotels, the food, the travel. All of that together would’ve been a whole lot for us, so Trinity has been great allowing us to room in here.”
“They also gave me a lot of emotional support during all that was going on,” Nia added. “Working with people at Trinity, it’s not like you’re a stranger to them. Everybody’s very open. They tell you about their life experience as well as yours. They’re very understanding of your situation. A lot of nurses and people on staff also have had babies in the NICU, so they gave us their experience and their stories, which made us feel a lot better.”
Nia became a familiar face around the hospital. “I met basically everybody,” she said. “Even people from the cafeteria welcomed me, asking me constantly how Kaidence was doing, where she was at the moment, and they were just really helpful on how I was feeling certain days as well.”
Holistic care progresses Kaidence’s health.
Thanks to the NICU’s holistic care, Kaidence progressed physically and developmentally, meeting all her developmental milestones. After two months it was time to go home.
“She is the cutest baby I’ve ever seen,” Clayton beamed. “I may be partial, but she’s a little rock star, and so many people are looking forward to seeing her. We couldn’t be more excited for the future.”
He continued: “We didn’t know which way to turn and that Trinity sign on the front of this building may as well been a halo. We are looking forward to watching our daughter grow and we have a lot to thank Trinity for that. They’ve been a lifesaver.”
