the Road to Motherhood

WORDS: TARA EKREN PHOTOGRAPHY: Provided by AMANDA MCKINNON and ESSENTIA HEALTH

The road to becoming a mom was a rocky one for Amanda McKinnon. McKinnon is a proud bonus mom to her significant other Jonathan Shilling’s two boys, David and Marcus. However, she and Shilling decided to try for a baby together. McKinnon wasn’t expecting much. She was diagnosed with endometriosis at age 20.

Endometriosis occurs when part of the uterine lining implants in the pelvis outside the uterus. These spots can be noted on anything near the uterus and fallopian tubes. It is believed to be caused when blood flows back through the fallopian tubes to the pelvis. Endometriosis can cause fertility issues making getting pregnant a challenge.

After visiting with a fertility specialist, she was given about a 3% chance of naturally conceiving a child. Not great odds. “When we decided to try for a baby, I ate healthy, worked out and was probably in the best shape I had been for quite a few years,” shares McKinnon.

About a year later on December 15, 2018, a day she’ll never forget, McKinnon realized her period was late. She took a pregnancy test, expecting the same result she had seen countless times before. “When it showed the word ‘pregnant’, I lost my mind,” recalls McKinnon. “Jon was at his son’s basketball game and I called him bawling and he couldn’t understand a word I said.”

McKinnon’s search for prenatal care brought her to Dr. Stefanie Gefroh Ellison, an OB/GYN at Essentia Health. McKinnon remembers, “I really connected with her and knew she would be a great fit. I loved that she had her own fertility journey and life experiences that made her so relatable. I could have real conversations with her because that’s just the kind of person I am, there’s no beating around the bush or feeling like I shouldn’t ask a question.”

“Dr. Gefroh Ellison was great about calming my fears and comforting me and she took such good care of me from a human perspective, and that made such a difference in how stressed I was throughout my pregnancy,” McKinnon shares. “Knowing that wasn’t good for me or the baby, she really helped me not be in that headspace.”

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BELOW: Daddy, Mommy and Evelyn

McKinnon’s pregnancy progressed with few concerns, although her pregnancy was considered high-risk. She was 38 when she became pregnant, which is considered advanced maternal age.

“For women who are older than age 35, we do see some increased risks for genetic issues and pregnancy complications, and these risks generally increase with age,” shares Ellison. “These women often have healthy pregnancies, but we do sometimes monitor them more closely.”

Scheduled for a cesarean delivery in August, baby Evelyn decided to make her entrance into the world about a month early. It was 6 a.m. on a Sunday morning in July. Shilling and his sons were at a basketball tournament in Minneapolis and McKinnon again called with her exciting news. Then she called her mom to get her to the hospital.

At Essentia Health, McKinnon remembers being impressed by how fluidly everything ran, from getting admitted to being prepped and taken for her C-section. “I remember hearing everyone going through the necessary checks and balances to ensure that everything was right,” shares McKinnon. “Everything went crazy fast, but it was an incredible experience and Essentia was a well-oiled machine.”

McKinnon, Shilling and baby Evelyn went home Thursday, which was McKinnon’s birthday. “Evelyn is my miracle baby and the grand finale to everything life has thrown my way. Being home with her was the perfect way to celebrate.”

McKinnon shares, “It blew my mind to have that relationship and TLC with my doctor. She treated me as a person, not just a patient. In fact, everyone at Essentia Health was excellent.”

“As a marketing professional owning my own business, I am always talking about bringing back the human touch in everything we are doing, not just with words, but with the patient/customer experience. For me, Essentia just nailed it!” when it comes to divorce involving a child, important considerations include where the child will live, who will make decisions for the child, and how costs for raising the child will be allocated between the parties. While every situation is different and depends on the individual circumstances of the parties, the following information will give you a general idea of how these issues are addressed in North Dakota and Minnesota.

WORDS :

MORGAN L. CROAKER, SERKLAND LAW FIRM