‘They saved our lives’: Quick Action in a Pregnancy Emergency

Taylor-Marie Leman’s pregnancy journey went without any major problems through the first 28 weeks. Then one morning in her third trimester, she woke up with a bad headache.

“It wasn’t going away with medication,” she says. “And then I started seeing spots in my left eye.”

When she messaged her obstetrician at Riverside Women’s Health, the nurse asked her to come into Riverside’s Family Birthing Center for monitoring and evaluation. That’s when Leman learned she had preeclampsia, a serious high blood pressure condition during pregnancy that can cause complications for moms and their babies.

“I had always had this impression that you had to have swelling and a bunch of other symptoms for preeclampsia to be a concern,” she says. “But I found out that it could just be a severe headache.”

An Emergency Delivery to Keep Mom and Baby Safe

Leman’s blood pressure had climbed dangerously high, putting her and her baby’s health at risk. But a nurse at the Family Birthing Center calmly explained the plan ahead, which included medications to lower her blood pressure, along with close monitoring of her unborn baby.

“They did a good job of explaining everything that was happening and every medication they were giving me,” Leman says.

When her blood pressure didn’t come down, a decision was made to deliver the baby early, by emergency C-section, to protect the health of Leman and her little one. Baby Reyna weighed just 2 pounds and 2 ounces, and she required specialized neonatal care.

Seamless Care

Fortunately, expert doctors from the University of Chicago Medicine Comer Children’s Hospital are always present at Riverside to provide pediatric care. They helped with Reyna’s initial care, alongside Riverside’s team, and prepared her to be transferred to Comer Children’s for higher-level NICU care. “It was the most seamless transition,” Leman says. “They worked so well as a team. It was very nice to see the partnership and the smoothness of the team working together.”

The unexpected transfer of her newborn to Chicago was something Leman and her family couldn’t have foreseen. But thanks to seamless coordination at Riverside, they felt supported in such an overwhelming moment.

“Once they got Reyna stable and prepped to go to Chicago, they brought her in in almost like a little spaceship,” Leman says. “It was her incubator to transfer her up to Chicago. I was able to see her and send her off. They were very kind and walked me through what it would look like when we got up there. And, from that moment, they were able to keep us updated with her.”

Leman stayed a week at Riverside recovering. Throughout her stay, her medical team provided steady support and constant communication. “My husband was with me the whole time, so they were including him in my care as well,” Leman says. “They were talking us through everything that was happening.”

“I felt heard,” she adds.
 

Hello, Healthy Baby!

When she was discharged and able to travel, Leman and her husband went to Chicago to reunite with Reyna in the NICU. They stayed at the Ronald McDonald House during their time there.

“We had so many people who cared for us throughout the whole journey,” Leman says. “The team up there and down here are just rock stars.”

After 59 days, Reyna left the NICU and is now a thriving and healthy baby.

“She’s gaining weight and smiling a lot and becoming more interactive,” Leman says. “It’s such a blessing every time we hold her.” Leman credits the Riverside team’s quick action during a critical moment for her and Reyna.

“They saved our lives,” she says.