55-year-old patient delivers healthy baby at Columbus Community Hospital
COLUMBUS – A rural hospital’s maternity team celebrated the birth of a healthy baby boy this week following a 55-year-old patient’s successful C-section delivery. Shirley Behrens, of La Grange, gave birth on April 13 at Columbus Community Hospital, located about 70 miles east of Houston in Columbus.
Behrens wanted to stay close to her home in La Grange for all her prenatal care and delivery and chose Columbus Community Hospital for prenatal care as well as labor and delivery.
"I had total confidence that the team at Columbus Community Hospital could handle what I knew was an unusual and potentially high-risk pregnancy and delivery,” Behrens said. “Everyone from the front desk to the physicians was attentive and wonderful.”
Dr. Saima Ghazal, FACOG, oversaw Behrens’ prenatal care, providing all ongoing care and monitoring prior to delivery, as well as the C-section at Columbus Community Hospital.
“Caring for patients like Shirley is a joy as a physician. Rural hospitals, our nurses, and physicians work together to provide the most advanced care for all patients, but it is even more fulfilling when we can highlight the skill and capabilities of our team to manage such complex, high-risk cases,” Dr. Ghazal said.
As a Department of State Health Services-designed Level II Maternity Care Facility, Columbus Community Hospital is well-equipped to provide the most advanced maternal care for pregnant women in Columbus and the surrounding communities. From prenatal care to delivery to postpartum and newborn care, the hospital ensures expecting families have everything they need for a successful delivery with high quality care and private, home-like delivery rooms designed for comfort.
Behrens is the oldest woman to give birth at Columbus Community Hospital at age 55. According to media reports at the time, the oldest woman to give birth in Texas was 59 when she gave birth in 2008.
