Paula, Dave and little Victoria Assenza

Parents will tell you that having their first baby is exciting. But in the case of one couple, the birth of their daughter was a matter of intense drama that opened their eyes to the professionalism and compassion of the nurses in The Scarborough Hospital’s Maternal Newborn and Child Care program.

Paula Assenza and Dave Machado thought they had another two months to prepare for their baby when they stepped into TSH’s General campus.

“We were lucky that Paula’s high blood pressure was discovered and that an emergency Caesarean could be performed within 24 hours,” says Dave. “Now, little Victoria is with us.”

“This was a terrifying and trying time for us, but it was made so much easier thanks to the excellent care and support we received from the nurses, support staff and doctors at TSH,” explains Paula, who works in the healthcare field.

Part of the concern was that TSH wasn’t their first hospital of choice, but only because they wanted to deliver their baby at Rouge Valley Centenary hospital, where Paula was born and had worked previously.

“I’ve met lots of nice people in the field, but never having been a patient on the other side, it changes your focus,” Paula says. “Being a patient and my daughter being a patient, I found everyone at TSH was really, really nice. They answered all my questions, and made us feel welcome.

“Now that I have gone to TSH and had care there, it is my hospital of choice.”

Dave says that based on their experience, he would recommend TSH.

“I found that the doctors were excellent, but the nurses were unbelievable,” he says. “I can’t say enough about them. They treated Paula and Victoria like family.”

The highlights of Paula’s seven-day stay were “the extra acts of kindness to ensure that I was comfortable,” including one nurse making an ottoman out of a cardboard box because she was concerned about Paula’s swollen legs.

Baby Victoria’s stay was much longer in the NICU, lasting nearly six weeks. 

“It wasn’t our plan to have Victoria stay in the NICU, and as hard as it was to go home without her those first few days, we knew the nurses were nurturing her, feeding her, talking to her and holding her like we would have,” Paula adds. “Our daily visits allowed us to joke, laugh and learn from the nurses. This easy atmosphere let us look past the incubator, the monitors and the IVs to see OUR BABY.”