While nurses at the Birth Center were ecstatic to see 7-month-old Elsa Rehm once again, they were equally thankful for the gifts her mother was bringing for new parents at the Center.

After giving birth to Elsa last August at UnityPoint Health — Trinity Regional Medical Center’s Birth Center, Ava Rehm and her husband, Tony, decided to give back to the doctors and nurses who cared for them, as well as to new families walking in their shoes.

Rehm created and donated handmade diaper cakes which are creatively made up of receiving blankets, burp cloths, baby clothing, toys, and more, to the first baby born at the Birth Center each month.

“Ever since we had Elsa, we have really wanted to find a way to give back to the hospital, but especially to the nurses and labor and delivery floor,” said Rehm. “We just had such a great experience with prenatal care and the entire birth experience and postpartum. We have felt so loved, nurtured and supported for all the care that we received. We thought that this would be a great way to take all of that goodness and pay it forward to a mom, new family, and baby.”

-Messenger photo by Kelli Bloomquist
Elsa Rehm, 7 months, sits beside a diaper cake made up of receiving blankets, toys, and diapers that was made by her mother, Ava Rehm. Ava Rehm is donating two diaper cakes each month to new parents at the Birth Center as a way to give back for the positive experiences she and husband, Tony, had with the doctors and nurses at the center.

For the month of April, Rehm created two diaper cakes, one specifically for a boy and another for a girl. On Thursday, with baby Elsa by her side, she delivered two gender neutral designs.

“It’s fun,” said Rehm. “I’m having fun with the design of them and it’s wherever the shopping trips take us.”

“We appreciate the diaper cakes that Ava is donating so much, but I’m sure the parents who receive them will appreciate them even more,” said Jadie Lara, charge nurse at the Birth Center. “It is parents like Ava that pay it forward that are so fun to see again and again and watch their families grow. What a wonderful gift this will be for the first newborn boy or girl born at UnityPoint Fort Dodge each month.”

Rehm said Dr. Abby Sexton was her obstetrician throughout her pregnancy and that baby Elsa was delivered by Dr. David Ilceski.

Rehm and her husband moved to Fort Dodge two years ago from Alaska and although they didn’t always hear the most positive comments about the community, she said their experiences with UnityPoint Health — Trinity Regional Medical Center’s Birth Center were better than they could have imagined.

“We wanted to highlight that the health care and the birth experience here has been so positive for us,” said Rehm. “We just want to contribute to spreading positivity about what Fort Dodge has to offer and the care that they have for new babies and families.”