Heuer Family Story

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Life moves fast for Mike and Lexi Heuer of Jordan. They met in May of 2019, were engaged by November and celebrated their wedding in June 2020. Soon after that, they received good news that they were expecting their first son together, Brecken, who was born in Sept. 2021. Shortly there after, Lexi and Mike learned they were expecting their second child. “What most people do in their first five years of marriage, we did
in the first two years,” said Mike.

Just 33 weeks into her second pregnancy, Lexi started experiencing contractions. She consulted her midwife, who asked her to keep monitoring her contractions at home. Things progressed quickly and Lexi’s midwife advised her to come in for standard testing to ensure the baby was okay.

“As soon as we finished tests, my water broke,” said Lexi. “We changed gears really quickly, went over to the delivery room and things went from zero to 60.” The team discovered the baby was breech, which meant the baby’s feet were pointed down.

Preparing for an Emergent Delivery

This was not going to be a normal delivery. Louise Ou-Yang, MD, with Western OB/GYN, was the on-call doctor that night. She and the team at Ridgeview quickly prepared for an emergency
C-section.

Fortunately, the team at Ridgeview was ready for this emergency. Just weeks earlier, Dr. Ou-Yang led a simulation involving a breech delivery. Three of the nurses helping deliver Lexi and Mike’s baby were part of this simulation. They had trained with Ridgeview’s current simulation mannequins, Victoria, a birthing mother, and Super Tory, an infant simulator used for Level III NICU trainings.

Simulation Training: Practicing for any Scenario

Simulation training allows clinical teams to practice scenarios that aren’t always common, but require fast thinking and precise skills – such as in the case of Lexi and baby.

“We had just completed a simulation of a breech delivery of a preterm baby and many of our nurses got a chance to practice exactly what the steps would be and how to respond to that. Oddly enough, a few weeks later, expectant mom Lexi came through the door,” said Bret
Hulett, RN, Ridgeview labor and delivery. “It couldn’t have gone more smoothly because we practiced it. We were comfortable, we were confident. We knew what we needed to do to take care of this patient and get the best possible outcomes.”

Simulation is a powerful training tool, especially for new nurses. “This is my first job on a labor unit, so I wasn’t as comfortable with the unexpected scenarios,” said Bret. “The simulation prepared me so well. I wasn’t near as nervous as I thought I’d be when the actual situation
happened. I was confident in myself. I was confident that I knew my coworkers knew what to do and I was confident in my doctor, because I worked with her in the simulation.” “Simulation drills are integral for patient care,” said Dr. Ou-Yang. “It helps with teamwork and communication. It reinforces the skills that we already know, and it teaches us new skills that we may not know.”

Through the Cause for the Community campaign, Ridgeview is raising money to enhance its simulation training program through the addition of more simulators, technology, equipment and space.

“We would be so grateful for more training tools and having a simulation center would really be a key step in helping us grow as a community hospital, helping us to achieve the next level and step up our skills,” said Kari Sorenson, RN, PCC, NICU.

Because the team practiced and was ready, baby Brux was safely delivered via emergent C-section, weighing in at 5 lb. 7 oz. He was born seven weeks early and spent a few weeks in Ridgeview’s Level III NICU. Today, he’s home and thriving.

“If I could gather everyone together again, I would just say thank you,” said Lexi

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