The “magic” of childbirth at LVMC

When Lisa Cordes became pregnant with her first child, she lived far away from her hometown of Lompoc. 

But that didn’t last for long. 

“I really wanted to raise my kids around their grandma, grandpa, aunts, and uncles,” she recalls. “So we moved back here to Lompoc and had our babies here.” 

Lisa and her husband, Mark, chose Lompoc Valley Medical Center for the birth of their children. 

“I was born and raised in Lompoc,” says Lisa, assistant principal at Hapgood Elementary School. “I love anything community-based. I have had great experiences with my doctors and always heard great things about the hospital, so that’s why I chose to have my babies there.” 

The couple now have son Paxton, 8; daughter Blaire, 6; and son Duke, 3. Her sister, Kelly, and sister-in-law Karen also delivered babies at LVMC. 

“It was such a great experience,” she says of giving birth at the hospital. “Why would anyone not want to? The nurses care for you so well.” 

She said it was particularly important to feel at ease since she’s averse to anything medical. Medical procedures and experiences, she said, give her the “heebie-jeebies.” 

“They’re just so gracious with their hearts,” Lisa says of the nursing staff. “They’re so kind. I’m the type I don’t want to feel any pain. They are just so sweet.” 

She said her obstetrician, Dr. Rod Huss, knows she’s a “worry wart,” so she can call him if she’s anxious. She also took a birthing class offered by LVMC and toured the Labor, Delivery, Recovery, and Postpartum rooms. 

“It helped to comfort my nerves as a first-time parent,” she said of the tour. “It was important for me to see what I was going to experience before I experienced it – having the opportunity to hear, smell, feel it before being here for the big day.” 

When it came time to give birth to her first child, she spoke at length with a nurse on the night shift once she was admitted. 
“She said, ‘You’re not going to give birth during my shift. Do you want me to teach you how to push?’ She told me what to do with my hands and my legs. She was exactly what I needed. The things they do to prepare you are amazing.” 

The concept of being able to have the baby and recover in the same room was a comfort to her as well. 

“All the medical stuff makes me anxious. Just the fact that everything was catered to us – you don’t even realize the magic of the walls in that room (where medical equipment in the wall is hidden by a landscape painting). All of the sudden you’re in a birthing situation, then all of the sudden you’re in recovery. The baby truly is next to you the entire time.” 

She’d heard stories from friends who gave birth at other hospitals where the birthing experience meant delivering on one floor and recovering elsewhere within the hospital. 

“Here, you get to have your baby in the room, recover in the room, and have that first really important 45 minutes with your baby – that magic hour, that bonding hour -- and you don’t have to move. Everything is really personalized and brought to you. That was wonderful. I got to really focus on the experience of being with my baby and bonding with my baby and not having to be separated from the baby.” 

The Birthing Center offers elective procedures such as circumcision, which can be completed before discharge.

“It’s catered to your level,” Lisa noted. “With our third baby, I didn’t want to stay an extra day. They listen to what you want. They are very focused on what’s best for the patient, the baby. They work with you and your family to personalized that for you.” 

She found that true even when it came to meals. She has Celiac Disease, and the hospital’s dietary department created food for her own medical needs. She and her husband enjoyed the special celebratory candlelight dinner given to new parents, calling it a “sweet touch.” 

She said the labor and delivery team is “truly the most gracious people. You’re at your most vulnerable, and the things they do for you are beyond words. They are just the kindest, sweetest, most attentive. It was such a gift for me. Everyone is such a family there.”