Mother’s Day: Yuma County woman delivers over 4,000 babies

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) - Mother’s Day is important to so many, including Yuma native, Annette Casey.

Casey is a Registered Nurse & Certified Mid-wife at Yuma Regional Medical Center. 

“Over the course of the last 25 years I have delivered over 4000 babies and many of them all the grandchildren are certain people they come in [and say] oh you have to finish delivering this one because you delivered all the rest of mine.”

Casey started out as a nurse, later moving to the labor and delivery department as a certified mid-wife. Spanning over 25 years at Yuma Regional Medical Center.

“My daughter followed in my footsteps, Kathy Embrey, she’s also a certified nurse midwife.”

“I have four grandchildren and they range in age from 5 to one that’s almost 14 and she be sure to tell you that. (laughter)”

Her primary focus is to care for low risk pregnant women, family planning and women’s health education. 

“Having to seen these children grow up and grow up to be women that are moms and are productive members of society and contribute to schools and come back to see me now talking about for menopause and I kind of grown up with them.”

She feels it’s important to make a special connection with each patient, creating a bond, getting to know them very well. 

“It never gets old and even if you’re tired and you’ve been up all night - I can think of a few cases for the dads kinda imitating ‘well when Annette came in, come on let’s get this going’ but it’s still it is such it I cry when the dad’s cry putting this baby on mom’s skin to skin.”

Casey shares advice to those women struggling.

"When they’ve had miscarriages. Miscarriages can really come so heavy on the heart of mother’s day and we don’t usually think of it being depressing but it can be and they need to reach out and we need to reach out to them.”

And to those new mothers.

“Then we get to see them after delivery when they’ve had three weeks of no sleep and you’re encouraging that this will pass and that this will be better.”

Casey even coming up with a new, or should I say, cute study.

“I think there should be a study to see if holding someone else’s baby lowers your blood pressure because they’re so cute and you get to give them back but they’re just so cute and they feel so good and they smell so good.”