Giving birth to a baby with an unusual prenatal diagnosis at 27 weeks in the midst of a global pandemic comes with its own unique challenges. That was one family’s reality earlier this year. But the care team at the Colorado Fetal Care Center — the only team in the region able to perform the procedure their baby needed to survive — was there to help them through it.
“Both the mom and fetus or newborn have access to a full range of hospital services from labs to imaging to counseling and surgery in one area. The close proximity also allows for further bonding between the parents and the infant at a critical time. Additionally, co-locating the care team fosters collaboration in emergency situations,” stated McGuinness.
The first time I felt the pain that I described to the doctors as Braxton-Hicks contractions, I didn’t know it was a placental abruption. Read more about Lailani and her story.
Because of the lifesaving care her daughters received at Texas Children’s, King-Ritter did not hesitate to say ‘yes’ when she was asked to join Ambassadors for Texas Children’s Hospital when it first launched in 2009. She has been an Ambassador and strong supporter ever since.
“In severe cases of CDH, the survival rate is ranging from less than 20% to 50%, but with FETO, we’re seeing a huge improvement in odds of survival,” said Dr. Lim. “Right now, it looks like survival rates as high as 80-90% are possible, but we’re still learning.”
Babies born with Maverick’s heart condition and a restrictive or absent communication between the top two chambers of the heart, are born with abnormal lungs, in addition to the heart defect. In fact, most of these babies do not survive after birth. Maverick underwent creation of an opening in the top two chambers of the heart in fetal life with a stent, to allow him to be stable after birth..