Her mother, Kelly Zucco, of Fairhaven, was born at St. Luke’s, as was her maternal grandmother, Mary Lee Guillotte, also of Fairhaven. When Jillian was born at St. Luke’s 31 years ago, her mother’s cousin Christine Gregoire, recently retired, was there as a delivery nurse.

Continuing the family tradition, Jillian and her husband Zachary welcomed their two children at St. Luke’s Stoico/FIRSTFED Maternity Center. Most recently, her daughter Laine, who arrived on October 14 of this year.

Jillian knew she would deliver at St. Luke’s as soon as she was pregnant with their first child, Gavin, now two years old. She had heard great things about the family centered unit, and her experiences there did not disappoint.

“The expertise is evident in every interaction,” she said. “The nurses are so caring, and everyone takes time to communicate. Being a provider myself, I know the importance of therapeutic rapport. As a patient, I saw what a difference it makes being comfortable with my providers.”

Both of Jillian’s pregnancies and deliveries went smoothly, but Gavin provided a moment of concern when he required two rescue breaths before he breathed on his own. Kathy Pringle, CNM, was attending the birth but called Dr. Robert Tripp in when she saw the baby’s heart rate dropping.

Dr. Tripp did not need to intervene, but he noticed the worry on Zachary’s face and put his arm around the new dad’s shoulders. He told him everything would be OK, and it was.

“Dr. Tripp saw my husband’s stress when everyone else was paying attention to me,” she said. “It was a short time, but those moments can feel like an eternity.”

Jillian, a graduate of the UMass Dartmouth nursing school, has been at Southcoast Health since 2018, where she worked as a nurse at the cancer center. After becoming a nurse practitioner, she now works with the team that that treats psychiatric disorders with co-morbid medical conditions. She usually practices at Tobey Hospital, but goes anywhere in the system she is needed.

Before becoming a healthcare professional and mom, Jillian was well known for her other talents and accomplishments. She was crowned Miss New Bedford 2014 and became Miss Massachusetts 2017.

A talented singer, she found time to perform with several musical groups, including the Varsity Girls, which performed with the Boston Pops and on stages around the country. Today, she continues to mix music with service by directing the Showstoppers youth singing group with her mother. The community service group performs at local events, in nursing homes, assisted living centers and other healthcare facilities. The group also performs nationally and has sung at Disney World. During the holidays, the young people will sing for patients and staff at Southcoast Health’s three hospitals.

Jillian’s mom, Kelly, founded Showstoppers 25 years ago following her own mother’s footsteps. Mary Lee Guillote, who sings and plays piano, formed the Guillotte Family Singers when Kelly and her five brothers were children. Currently, the Showstoppers include 23 young people from throughout the South Coast region.

The deep community connections that the Zuccos foster with their music are also found at St. Luke’s Hospital, where Jillian experienced “full-circle moments” that made delivering her children there even more special. As mentioned earlier, Kathy Pringle assisted with the delivery of her son and was also a former Miss New Bedford. This time, her childhood friend, Kara Hughes, was one of the nurses who assisted with Laine’s birth along with Therese Brown,CNM, CNP.

“St. Luke’s is a community hospital, and it feels like a community,” Jillian said. “I definitely felt more comfortable knowing I had family, friends and colleagues who worked there. But as a provider, I know that all the hospitalists and the specialists communicate and collaborate to provide patients with the highest quality of care.”

For more information on Women’s Health including Maternity & OB/GYN services visit Southcoast Health Women’s Health.