FORT WORTH, Texas — Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Alliance is the hospital of choice for Crystal and Curtis Golden.

The Fort Worth couple became a family of five when they welcomed Gunner Jan. 29, 2025.

Crystal delivered all of her children at Texas Health Alliance, and she noticed this birth experience was different.

“We had a big group in our room. Everyone wanted to know if we had a birth plan and what our expectations were during and after delivery,” Crystal said.

The Golden family was the first at Texas Health

Alliance to experience TeamBirth, a shared decision-making model that focuses on improving communication between the care team and patients during and after labor and delivery. It had launched just that morning.

Anxiety during birth

Immediately after giving birth to her first-born child in 2019, Crystal experienced excessive blood loss, also known as postpartum hemorrhage (PPH). It is a serious complication that can occur in up to 5% of deliveries within 24 hours to 12 weeks after birth.

After her second pregnancy, Crystal suffered from postpartum depression (PPD).

Both experiences had Crystal feeling anxious about the birth of her son, Gunner.

It’s not unusual for patients to arrive a little anxious, according to Shannon Manchesi, B.S.N., R.N., a labor and delivery nurse at Texas Health Alliance who is also one of nine TeamBirth champions for the hospital.

“When patients arrive, we settle them in and talk about their birth plan and address any concerns,” said Manchesi, who cared for Crystal.

TeamBirth uses a shared planning board to facilitate patient-centered decision-making throughout the entire birth experience. The planning board is filled out by a clinical team member based on patient requests and preferences following their first “huddle” and it is updated throughout their hospital stay.

Huddles are care plan discussions with the full care team, the patient and their support person, including trained doulas. Interpreters and social workers are also included, as needed.

“We want every woman giving birth to feel empowered to participate in decisions made during labor and delivery,” said Tina Gist, M.S.N., R.N., director of nursing, women and children and critical care at Texas Health Alliance. “The huddles help ensure all mothers are heard and respected throughout the birth experience.”

During the first huddle, Crystal shared how anxious she was feeling.

“We talked in depth about her past experience and explained what we currently do to be proactive about these cases,” said Manchesi. “She also shared with me that talking with detail and communicating every step helps decrease her anxiety, along with a calming environment.”

The care team kept this in mind throughout her hospital stay.

“I felt like we were all on the same page. They did a good job at explaining what was happening throughout the entire process,” said Crystal. “My transition to the mother-baby unit once Gunner arrived was also smooth.”

TeamBirth launched in late January at several Texas Health hospitals in Tarrant County.

“Every mother deserves to have a safe and memorable birth experience, and we are delighted to be among the first in the state to implement the program at our facility,” said Clint Abernathy, president of Texas Health Alliance. “Our care teams play a significant role to the success of this program which aligns with our Mission of improving the health of the people in the communities we serve.”