South Triangle News

On February 18, a unique event unfolded at Central Carolina Hospital (CCH) when "Baby Legacy" was born in the same room where his mother, Kaycia Worthy, had been delivered 16 years earlier. Present for both births was Paula McGehee, RN, a long-serving Labor & Delivery nurse at CCH.

Kaycia Worthy chose to deliver her first child at CCH to continue her family's tradition of community-based childbirth. She was attended by Certified Nurse Midwife Holly Drake and student midwife Catie DeGraeve.

CCH has a longstanding history of supporting family traditions and fostering new generations of healthcare professionals. Paula McGehee has been part of the hospital's team for over three decades and has assisted in thousands of births alongside other nurses, including her daughter Kelli Donithan.

The hospital boasts several veteran Labor & Delivery nurses such as Denise Spivey-Johnson, Kellie Fuquay, Tammy Overton, Penny Moureau, and Sandra Paschal. Many have followed in their family members' footsteps or have inspired their children to join CCH.

CCH's legacy with Nurse Midwives is robust and expanding. The current team includes Holly Drake, Lekeshia Murphy-Spencer, and Love Josiah Tetteh. Colleen Higdon will soon join them after completing her post-master's certificate in Midwifery from Frontier Nursing University.

These midwives collaborate with doctors Hakeem Yusuf and Eyra Agudu from Central Carolina Women’s Health Center. They are available for medical interventions like C-sections if necessary.

The tradition of midwifery care at CCH began in the mid-1990s and continues to attract patients locally and from other states who prefer this model of care.

Despite changes brought on by COVID-19 and shifts in health insurance practices leading to consolidations within the hospital system, CCH remains dedicated to its midwifery practice and its enduring birth legacy.