Four years ago when Rebecca “Becky” and John Zumbach—both teachers in Gilford—moved to Ashland to be more centrally located between work and the mountains where they first met, the task of finding new doctors was simply part of their relocation process. A friend recommended Dr. Banister, at Plymouth OB/GYN, to Becky and having also heard great things about Speare Memorial Hospital, she established herself as a patient.

Two years later, the Zumbachs experienced the full continuum of care at Speare— from office visits to delivery room—when they welcomed their first child, Louis.

“It was such an awesome experience,” recalls Becky. “We loved the small, friendly feeling of the Birthing Suite. We loved the doctors, and the nurses were amazing. We almost didn’t want to go home because they took such good care of us.” John adds, “They were all very welcoming and inclusive of our wishes and respected the type of experience we wanted throughout the delivery process.”

A year and half later, Becky was pregnant again and was scheduled for a routine ultrasound. John says, “She had plans to run errands after her appointment, but she came home immediately, white as a ghost, and said, ‘I have something to tell you.’ I said right off, its twins.” Becky says she was a bit shocked when Dr. Banister gave her the news she was expecting two, but she knew that twins did run in her family, since her grandmother had also had a set of twins.

Hearing they were having twins, many people asked them where they planned to have the babies. “We didn’t think twice about where we wanted to have the twins,” says Becky. “We definitely wanted to have them at Speare as our experience the first time was so good.”

John agrees, “After having Louis at Speare we were comfortable with all the doctors and nurses and knew what to expect, even with twins. Everyone did a great job of explaining how it would be different, that there would be more people involved, and that the birth would be in the operating room . . . .[that] it would be a team effort.”

Two healthy baby boys, Brooks and Wade Zumbach, made their debut in March, just 10 days before big brother Louis’ second birthday. Becky and John agree that their second time around was as good as, if not better, than their first experience delivering at Speare.

Becky notes that when Louis was born they really got to know one nurse in particular, Kim Goff. “Kim helped deliver Louis and as it happened, she was scheduled to be on for the next two nights after the twins were born. One of the day nurses, Laurel, was someone I knew from ski racing, and there she was, right by our side. I don’t know how we got so lucky . . . it made us feel like we were at home. And whether I knew the nurses or not, I wasn’t nervous about anything. I had a little trouble recovering and figuring out the dynamics of breastfeeding twins, but everyone was there for me.”

Growing in size and personality, Brooks and Wade are beloved by their big brother Louis. All three are keeping mom and dad busy, but together they are a thriving family of five.

Reflecting back, Becky reiterates their positive experience with Plymouth OB/GYN and Speare Memorial Hospital. She says, “I can’t imagine why anyone would want to travel somewhere else and think you are going to get something better. The care you get at Speare is everything you could ask for.”

“If you are looking for a small, intimate environment with very professional staff that are friendly and approachable, then Speare is the place to have your baby,” John concludes.