Being a mother is a remarkable act of love, as women selflessly dedicate their strength and courage to nurture, lead, and develop those they love. It’s a celebration of life and family.

“The whole (Freeman Maternity) team was such a dream,” says Whitney Veri, one of the mothers who shared her story with us. “Those few days we spent inside Freeman Maternity Center are days we will remember for the rest of our lives. We are immensely thankful for the staff in these departments for taking care of us like their own family.”

In a beautiful tribute to motherhood, we honor several incredible Freeman Health System nurses who experienced this joy firsthand, delivering their twins at Freeman Health System with the support of their cherished colleagues. Each story is a heartwarming example of motherhood.

Aubry Cook

Freeman Health System’s Registered Nurse Aubry Cook gave birth via cesarean section to Evelyn Clara and Elaina Sue Cook – 2:30 and 2:31 pm, respectively, on June 8, 2024.

Cook currently works at Ozark OBGYN, inside the Freeman Women’s Center, but for two years she worked at the Birthing Center inside Freeman West.

On that happy June day, ironically, Cook found herself being pampered and cared for by her colleagues and friends.

“Everyone in that department is like family to me,” Cook said. “One of my favorite things that staff did for me was decorate my daughters’ cribs. That made my husband and I feel so loved, and I knew our daughters were receiving that same love.”

Cook’s stay at Freeman West Hospital lasted four days. Ironically, her daughters were discharged from the Freeman Neonatal Intensive Care Unit before she was.

“They are overachievers!” Cook said with a laugh.

Every single memory from her delivery and postpartum at Freeman West is amazing, she said.

“One memory that really sticks out to me is one from when I was on postpartum. My nurse was Alyssa Terry. Not only is she a phenomenal nurse, but she is one of my best friends. I was very emotional and upset that day, because my blood pressure wasn't cooperating, and I had to stay an extra day because it was elevated and not responding to any medications. I had been crying – which wasn’t helping my blood pressure – and Alyssa walked in and listened to my feelings. She hugged me and showed so much empathy and love. She also reasoned with me. As a patient, I feel like everything you know and learned as a nurse gets thrown out the window when it is happening to you. I knew the right decision for me was to stay longer. I knew if I’d gone home and that had happened, I would’ve had to have come back on a drip for my blood pressure. I knew all of these things, but I think my emotions were blinding me in seeing that. Alyssa really talked me down and made me feel so much better. And after all that, she bought me a drink from the coffee shop!”

Freeman Maternity will always hold a very special place deep inside Cook’s heart.

“I personally know all the nurses and how amazing they are. From the patient side, my view hasn't changed. My experience was phenomenal. I received excellent care. My daughters received tremendous care. I truly believe the Freeman Birthing Center is the best place to bring your baby or babies into the world. From the nursing and care side of things.”

Piper Allen

Just a little over a week before Halloween in 2023, on October 23, Piper Allen gave birth to her twin boys – Lochlan Eugene and Ledger Duane Lankford.

A registered nurse at Freeman Health System, Allen has worked in the float pool for a little more than three years. She’s also one of a special group of Freeman nurses who gave birth to twins at Freeman West Hospital in recent years.

As a new mother, this was Allen’s first experience inside Freeman’s Maternity Center, one of the busiest in the Show-Me State, with more than 1,700 babies delivered each year.

And while Allen didn’t personally know the nurses who cared for her during her two-day stay at Freeman West, she did recognize some of the smiling staff members there, who went out of their way to pamper her and tend to her every need.

“My overall experience was great,” Allen said. “It’s very nerve-racking being a new mom – especially with two babies. The nurses were very helpful.”

Whitney Veri

Whitney Veri became a mother when she gave birth to twins, son Nicholas and daughter Addison, on November 26, 2024, at Freeman Maternity Center.

She is just another example of a Freeman employee having twins at Freeman.

As a Freeman employee based on the Freeman West campus, as House Administrator for the health system’s Patient Services Administration department, Veri was already exceedingly familiar with her surroundings.

“Our experience in the Freeman Birthing Center and Postpartum was absolutely amazing,” Veri said. “The staff went above and beyond to make sure our delivery was everything we could have hoped for with healthy babies, a healthy momma, and a dreamy bonding experience all together as a family.”

The bonding experience she referenced is often called The Golden Hour, the first hour or two after birth when a mother and baby have soothing skin-to-skin contact, which is key when it comes to bonding and helping the baby – or in this case, babies – adjust to life outside the womb.

“The nurses in the birthing center helped us prioritize the Golden Hour bonding that was so important to us, and we ended up holding lifetime memories for our first moments together as a family,” said Veri, who was a patient at Freeman West for three days before going home. “The babies were able to stay in our room with us, and we had the same nurse (Freeman’s Samantha Adams) taking care of all three of us. This was such a wonderful experience. Everyone was so helpful in our transition to becoming parents for the very first time. And we will remember Samantha forever.”

One detail Veri will never forget from her stay at Freeman involves her sister-in-law, Freeman Registered Nurse Alyssa Terry, who works inside Maternity Center. Terry served in the operating room during Veri’s delivery and witnessed her niece and nephew being born. Veri also praised Freeman Registered Nurse Gabee Rainwater, Director of Freeman Maternal, NICU Services Kalseji Reeves, and Nurse Midwife Beau Howe as other outstanding caregivers.

“The whole team was such a dream,” Veri said. “Those few days we spent inside Freeman Maternity Center are days we will remember for the rest of our lives. We are immensely thankful for the staff in those departments for taking care of us like their own family.”

 Happy Mother’s Day.