MercyOne Newton's Hinshaw named among ‘100 Great Iowa Nurses’

MercyOne Newton Medical Center is proud to announce that Christine Hinshaw, International Board Certified Lactation Consultant, has been named to the list of 100 Great Iowa Nurses for 2020. Hinshaw has been employed at MercyOne Newton since 2005.

Her reaction to the award was a combination of being surprised and pleased. “I think everyone at MercyOne Newton is deserving of this kind of recognition,” she said, “so I feel quite humbled and taken aback.”

Hinshaw's nomination was a collaboration between Stephanie Alexander, PR & Marketing Coordinator, and Leisa Zylstra, Foundation & Mission Manager, and included extensive feedback from patients with whom Hinshaw has worked. Alexander was one of those patients on several occasions.

“Breastfeeding support is one of the huge differences I experienced between being at a big hospital versus MercyOne Newton,” Alexander wrote. “My first son, born elsewhere, was a NICU baby and I couldn’t get him to breastfeed. So I sought out the lactation consultant there and asked her to please come help me work with my son. Her reply was, ‘I don’t go to the NICU.’ She never even laid eyes on my baby. By comparison, with the two babies I did have at MercyOne Newton, Christine not only came to my hospital room several times, but also visited my house. And when I ultimately decided breastfeeding wasn’t working out and opted to use a pump instead, I got nothing but encouragement from Christine. She never makes you feel guilty, ever.”

The nomination went on to describe how Hinshaw's dedication goes well beyond the OB department. Zylstra wrote: “Christine has built her entire career around helping others, most often in an intimate, one-on-one capacity. In recent years, she has expanded her outreach in ways that benefit many members of our community, all at one time – she has done so by researching and writing grants that have brought in significant funding to help families in need.”

Hinshaw says that outreach comes as second nature. “I love serving the community. The people you're caring for are your own.”

MercyOne Newton has had four nurses receive this prestigious award, all of whom remain closely involved with the hospital. “One of them, now retired, still volunteers here, and the other two, along with Christine, remain on our nursing staff to this day,” said hospital president Laurie Conner. “That demonstrates the strong loyalty and family ties these individuals have to this hospital and our patients, and helps to underline why they truly are among Iowa's greatest nurses.”

Hinshaw's draw to the nursing profession goes back to her childhood. Raised on a farm, her daily exposure to agriculture instilled a fascination about biology and life cycle. This interest was further enhanced as she pored over stacks of RN Magazine, which belonged to her aunt, who was a nurse. Finally, the real clincher came at age 14, when Hinshaw's mother suggested she become a weekend “helping hand” at a local county care facility. The job itself was simple enough: make beds, hand out ice water and assist the nurses as requested. The important part, according to Hinshaw, was when the basic tasks were done and it was time to help patients with what they really wanted.

“I had one patient, a tall, thin man who absolutely loved fried chicken,” she said. “Every day, he'd call out 'Fried chicken! Fried chicken!' And the facility did serve fried chicken every Sunday, so you can bet I made sure he got an extra piece. Another patient, a tiny, quiet woman, would sit and rockabye a little doll all day. She spoke a language I didn't know and I eventually noticed the small series of numbers tattooed on her arm; she was a concentration camp survivor. I may not have understood what she said, but I understood what she needed. For her, it was kindness. For the tall, thin gentleman, it was advocacy. For other patients, it was just someone to listen. That is what nursing truly is: stepping into someone else's shoes without losing yourself. Pausing for a minute to feel what they're feeling. Crafting your care based on the patient experience.”

While she has spent her career in different areas of nursing, Hinshaw's professional passion is helping moms successfully feed their babies. She began working in lactation support at MercyOne Newton in January 2007, and knew she ultimately wanted to become an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC). This board certification, which she received in 2011, separates her from the majority of those in the breastfeeding field, who are lactation educators, rather than certified lactation consultants.

The honor placed her within a very select number of breastfeeding experts; at the time, Iowa had fewer than 100 IBCLCs. As the world-wide gold standard in lactation support, it is the ultimate mark of knowledge within the profession. Only a select number of people even qualify to take the test, with pre-requisites including 45 hours of specific lactation education and at least 1,000 hours of direct contact with families who have chosen to breastfeed their infants.

Passing the test wasn’t the end of the line for Hinshaw, either. She has to recertify every five years and retake the test every 10. But she believes having the expertise that comes along with this certification is worth the arduous process, because the families who come to MercyOne Newton deserve it.

“Moms can feel frustrated or guilty if breastfeeding isn’t easy in the beginning,” she said. “But this really isn’t surprising. There is always a learning curve for every newly acquired skill. Think about being a newborn — never before have they been cold, tired, hungry or lonely. Being born is a huge adjustment, and now they have to work for their supper.”

As her words show, Hinshaw has great empathy for not only moms but babies as well, calling them “sweet thing” and clucking her tongue gently at them as she encourages them to latch and drink. Her vision is to not only offer guidance on techniques and information on the benefits of breastfeeding, but to also provide reassurance, emotional support and empathy.

One former patient, whose mother is a long-time obstetrics nurse, describes Hinshaw as simply amazing: “Her help with all three of my children couldn’t be topped. Christine was always available when I needed her. You can tell she really loves her job, the moms and the sweet babies.”

To learn more about MercyOne Newton, call 641-787-5433, visit MercyOne.org/newton or follow www.facebook.com/mercyonenewton.