Mother's Labor Eased by K-9 Service Dog at Brandon Regional Hospital

The following feature story was submitted by Vince Vanni on behalf of .
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On Friday, April 13, at 5:22 p.m., Laura Hulsing gave birth to Noah Fredrick Hulsing-Drymon, who weighed 7 pounds, 13 ounces and was 18 inches long.

 This was no ordinary delivery. 

Not only did Hulsing have her family and physician, Heidi Arnold, with her as she welcomed Noah into this world, she also had by her side Autumn, her companion and service dog. 

Autumn has been servicing Laura for six years for post-traumatic stress disorder. 

“When I was eighteen, I experienced a life-changing event that resulted in post-traumatic stress disorder,” Hulsing said.  “Because of the incident, I tried to constantly prove to myself that I was not afraid of people and situations so I would attend business and marketing networking sessions all the time. By 3 p.m. every afternoon, I was exhausted and would have to go to bed.  Trying to constantly prove myself took its toll.” 

At one of these networking sessions Laura met Pam Halley,who invited Hulsing to visit her organization, K-9's for Veterans. Halley and her husband, Mike, in October 2008 launched the not-for-profit organization to provide service dogs to disabled veterans and soldiers, suffering from such disorders as balance issues, diabetes, seizures, traumatic brain injury (TBI) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). 

Autumn has been Hulsing's companion for five years.  He has been in training for more than a year and fully certified for four months. 

Hulsing's post-traumatic stress disorder causes severe anxiety. Autumn watches Laura very carefully in public situations and will move to her side and watch as people pass, providing comfort and security.

“I was nervous about having Autumn in the hospital, especially the delivery room, because it was going to be a very stressful time for me, and Autumn would see that,” Hulsing said.  “I spoke with the nursing staff at the hospital and for a few months before delivery we brought Autumn to the hospital to get her used to the environment. She met many people and we even had booties made so her nails would not make as much noise when she walked on the floor.”

For the past six months Autumn has been very protective of Hulsing, in the middle of the night following her from the bed to the restroom and back again. Still, Hulsing wondered how Autumn would be in the delivery room during labor.

Hulsing worked very hard during labor to stay calm. The trainer, who was also in the room with Autumn, told Hulsing that Autumn was doing fine and it was okay for Hulsing to express her feelings. When she did, Autumn would walk over to her, offer comfort, then return to the trainer when Husling returned to a measure of calm.

Autumn stayed with Hulsing during her stay in the Baby Suites at the Women's Center at Brandon Regional Hospital, there to give comfort to Husling, who in turn gave comfort to her newborn son.

“I take no pills for anxiety," Husling said. "Autumn is trained to know me and my body.  She not only watches me, but she also anticipates when an anxiety attack may come and warns me. She becomes aware of the situations that may trigger it and because of her, I am independent.”

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About Brandon Regional Hospital

• Brandon Regional Hospital is a 398-bed, acute-care facility that includes  a 25-bed Behavioral Health Center.
• The Hospital is a Certified Primary Stroke Center, an Accredited Chest Pain Center with PCI and a Bariatric Center of Excellence.
• The hospital has received the highest rating for quality cardiac surgery by the Society of Thoracic Surgeons.
• Brandon Regional Hospital has a Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (the highest level of care offered to neonatal patients).
• More than 75,000 babies have been born and cared for in the hospitals Baby Suites.
• The Emergency Center offers public access to average wait times.
• The Neuroscience Center and the Heart and Vascular Center offer the latest diagnoses and treatment options for neurological, spine and cardiac conditions.
• The hospital offers much of the latest in technology, including robotic surgery for gynecological and urological conditions, and CyberKnife for the non-invasive treatment of select cancers.
• Brandon Regional Hospital is at 119 Oakfield Drive. For more information, contact Patricia Montgomery at 813-571-5105.

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