Celebrating the Art of Birth at the Family Birth Center

The Family Birth Center was recently honored with a very special reunion: A generous local family, a talented sculpture artist from Zimbabwe, and an inspiring artwork that now delights families delivering babies at Foothills Hospital.

Sculptor Colleen Nyanhongo, a Zimbabwe native now living in Colorado, Eldorado Springs gallery owner Giuseppe Palumbo, daughter Brianna Palumbo and grandson Owen Gregory, BCH chief medical officer Paul Lewis and Family Birth Center director Lisa Allen, RN, gathered recently to celebrate the sculpture’s dedication -- and the journey that led to its installation in the labor and delivery area.

Just over a year ago, Brianna and husband Cody Gregory welcomed Owen’s arrival at the Family Birth Center. After a difficult labor, Brianna and baby spent the first week in our Special Care Nursery. “During labor and in the NICU, the nurses here were all incredible,” she said. “They made a challenging situation into a great experience.”

After the family went home, “We wanted to express our appreciation for the exceptional level of care we received here,” said Brianna’s dad Giuseppe Palumbo. The founder of Gallery Giuseppe in the Eldorado Springs Arts Center immediately thought of Motherland.

The tactile black stone sculpture depicts a baby in her mother’s womb, ready to be born. “Our families love to touch the sculpture while they’re here,” Lisa Allen said. “It’s the perfect addition to this sweet space where so many lives begin.”