When Mackenzie Murley welcomed her daughter at Mercy Health —Lourdes Hospital, she experienced firsthand the difference donor support can make. Your gift gave Mackenzie natural birthing tools that made her labor easier.

Mackenzie’s labor began quite slowly. She worked all day while in labor, without knowing it. When she arrived at the hospital that night, she was dilated seven centimeters. But her baby still wasn’t in the right place for delivery. Your gift helped change that.

“I’ve seen how effective birthing balls can be,” Mackenzie says. “When I came in to have my baby, it was really important to me that we use them because I knew how much they could help.”

Mackenzie understood how a birthing ball could help open her pelvis and encourage descent. Mackenzie’s care team helped her balance as she straddled the birthing ball. It was like she was riding a horse, which is why the position is aptly named “flying cowgirl.”

“When they put me in that position, it helped my daughter drop down so I could finish my labor,” she says. “It made a huge difference.”

Your generosity has ensured every labor room in Mercy Health — Lourdes Hospital now has its own birthing ball. In the past, these important tools were available to patients if requested, but not in the room by default.

Now, new moms have all options available to move their labor along. For new moms like Mackenzie, it means better care and more confident supported births for families across the region.