Bexar County Medical Society Alliance

By Cheryl Pierce-Szender, Alliance Co-President

We had our first baby in December 2007. High blood pressure, proteinuria, and clonus at my 38-week checkup bought me an immediate transfer via wheelchair across the street to labor and delivery. I was "fortunate" enough to be sufficiently sick that I got one of the last beds, soon after, the Alaska Native Medical Center went on diversion during a snowstorm. I heard other women were laboring in triage and even in the hallways.

We hadn't fully prepared to bring our baby home. Though I hadn't practiced any relaxation techniques, hadn't packed a bag, didn't have a proper nursery set up, and my mom had to run to the store for smaller onesies to take our baby home in, we felt ready. We foolishly thought of welcoming our baby into the world as the finish line.

The birth was the culmination of years of effort. Over a year and a half of infertility. Over five and a half hours of surgery to remove large bilateral endometriomas, implants and adhesions from stage four endometriosis. Diagnostic tests, procedures and countless injections for IVF. Then cholestasis and preeclampsia. I had learned to medically advocate for myself to get treatment every step of the way. We had overcome all these obstacles we finally had our baby.

It never occurred to us that she might be sick.

I don't know if there's any scientific proof of a mother's intuition. My background is in structural engineering, not medicine. I'd never even been around babies before I gave birth to my own, but I knew something wasn't right. Babies spit up, but surely not that much. Having to hold my baby all night long on a bed covered in towels couldn't be normal. My husband was a medical student, usually either at the hospital or studying, so I was the one home with her and the one to raise the first alarm bells. Well-meaning family and friends tried to reassure me that everything was fine.

Most likely our baby had reflux and while painful for her and frustrating for us, some medication would relieve most of the issue. But her pediatrician listened to and believed the two new and young parents and or- dered a barium swallow test. I stood outside the radiology suite, sick to my stomach worrying that I might be correct, that our beautiful, barely 10-pound baby might have something wrong. My then-inexperienced, medical student husband immediately recognized our baby's malrotated intestine in real time.

Our daughter was 65 days old when her surgeon performed a Ladd's procedure (untwisting her intestines, removing her appendix, and repositioning her small intestine and colon). In the middle of the surgery, a resident found us and excitedly displayed a picture of our baby's intestines. The doctors also found a duplication at the cecum which required a resection. I spent the next several days in the hospital with her, holding her tiny hands in a fruitless effort to stop her from repeatedly pulling the IVs out of her forehead and legs.

Our son's gastrointestinal issues have been harder to diagnose. We knew when he turned one and went from our best eater to refusing food altogether that something was wrong. His first real word was "hurt," said while pointing to his stomach. We wished we still lived near our daughter's pediatrician, the one who had listened to us and ordered the barium swallow test.

Luckily when we moved back to San Antonio after my husband’s fellowship, we were able to establish our son with a wonderful pediatric gastroenterologist. He was two when he had a Nissen fundoplication and Gtube placement. We're still struggling with his various medical issues, but are thankful that his team takes our concerns into real consideration.

Having four kids who have endured pediatric NICU stays, polycystic kidney disease diagnoses, an early autism diagnosis, multiple surgeries and diagnoses. These experiences have taught me the value of always trust my instincts and advocate our children. We are forever grateful to the doctors and nurses.

Cheryl is the co-President of the 2023 BCMS Alliance. She previously served as Treasurer.