Hospital mural sets the stage for baby’s first family photo

When Lauren Goro’s favorite snack tasted strange, she suspected she might be pregnant. “I’m obsessed with nachos — I love nachos,” she says.

But the minute she tasted them, she knew something was amiss. “When I opened the chips and tasted the cheese, it tasted awful — same with the salsa,” she says.

Experts agree that while some women crave certain foods when they’re pregnant, others can have an aversion to foods they ordinarily love. The latter was the case for Lauren. “I knew then,” Lauren says.

Lauren and her husband, Alvin Goro, wanted to start a family. And after taking a home pregnancy test that day — which was positive, as Lauren expected — the couple was thrilled.

Welcoming Xander
In October, Xander, their first child, was born at Sharp Grossmont Hospital for Women & Newborns. Family and motherhood seem to come naturally to Lauren. The highlight of her first few days with Xander was experiencing the simple joy of just holding him and watching “his little smiles.”

“I didn’t expect the connection and bond between mother and baby to be so intimate,” she says.

A resident of El Cajon, Lauren’s family owns and operates a small convenience store in East County San Diego, where Lauren often helps. “We’ve owned the store for 24 years, and I’ve always helped my dad out,” she says. “Family comes first.”

Lauren’s full-time job for now, however, is taking care of Xander.

Positive birth experience
“I feel lucky my pregnancy was pretty easy,” Lauren says. “The labor was easy and the staff at Grossmont made it even smoother. The nurses who worked in the labor and delivery unit were kind and reassuring.”

The positive experience meant the world to Lauren — it meant an anxiety-free birth. Often, whether it's a woman's first venture into motherhood or her third, anxiety is a common feeling during this time.

“I wish I could remember everyone’s name, but all the nurses in labor and delivery completely put me at ease,” Lauren says. “I was never worried. Everyone was helpful, patient and super kind.”

And it wasn’t just the nurses who were comforting during Lauren’s birth experience. “When I was walking up and down the labor deck trying to help with the contractions, there were other staff I’d pass who just smiled at me, and that made me feel good.”

New photo spot captures a precious moment
The Goro family were among the first to use the hospital’s new photo mural. The mural was created as a fun photo spot where parents, baby and other loved ones can gather to commemorate the birth.

“Having a baby is a wonderful milestone,” says Alison Ingram, OBGYN, lactation and parent education manager at Sharp Grossmont. “We installed the mural to give families a designated photo spot where they can take a sweet photo to capture the memory with their smart phone.”

The addition of the mural offers families the opportunity to take a photo of a special moment they can look back on for the rest of their lives, Ingram says. “And they can easily share it with friends and family through social media, if they like.”

The mural is conveniently located next to the concierge desk in the Women’s Hospital, close to where mom and baby depart the hospital following birth.

“You don’t really get a chance to get good photos when you’re in labor, but everyone wants them,” says Lauren. “I think it’s really nice, especially as you leave the hospital. It’s also nice to have a picture with the name and how much the baby weighs. I didn’t expect that and thought it was really cute.”

Learn more about pregnancy; get the latest health and wellness news, trends and patient stories from Sharp Health News.

For the news media: To talk with Alison Ingram about the new mural for an upcoming story, contact Erica Carlson, senior public relations specialist, at erica.carlson@sharp.com.