SUDDEN DISTRESS
CHARLOTTE, playing with her parents at home, more than two years after being born prematurely at only two pounds eight ounces.
new parents take comfort in neonatal care following emergency birth
T
he first seven months felt remarkably smooth For Lindsay, the transfer to Royal Columbian was for Lindsay Davidson, who was preparing for a blur. Ben followed the ambulance along the the arrival of their first child with husband highway in his own vehicle as they headed to New Ben Abel. But a routine check-up at 30 weeks Westminster. sent the North Vancouver couple into a week-long “To be moved was kind of reassuring for me,” says tailspin that eventually brought them to Royal CoBen. “Because you knew they would be able to lumbian Hospital for an emergency delivery and an handle it at that hospital, whatever happened.” anxious introduction to parenthood. During the check-up, Lindsay’s blood Bring control pressure was high enough that she They said my organs Royal Columbian Hospital neonatolowas sent to the local hospital for were shutting down. gist Dr. Mudaffer Al-Mudaffer says bed rest and monitoring. There, she That’s when they made preeclampsia can be life-threatening was diagnosed with preeclampsia, the decision to transfer to the mother and subsequently to a potentially life-threatening condi- me to Royal Columbian. her yet-to-be-born baby if it becomes tion that occurs in a small number of out of control. pregnancies. “It can cause problems to the baby’s -Lindsay Davidson “They were watching to see signs of brain, the bowels, the lungs, and distress in the baby and in me,” rethese can suffer from growth restriccalls Lindsay. “Five days later, they said my organs tion with all its complications” he says. “The blood were shutting down. That’s when they made the pressure to the mother can become so high and decision to transfer me to Royal Columbian.” out of control, so the only way to bring control is As a high-risk maternity centre with one of only to get the baby out.” four Level 3 neonatal intensive care units in the Doctors at Royal Columbian first tried to induce province, Royal Columbian Hospital cares for Lindsay before deciding on an emergency caesarexpectant mothers and premature newborns from ean section. “There were so many people in the throughout BC. room,” Lindsay notes. “I was very worried about
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YOUR HEALTH MATTERS I ROYAL COLUMBIAN HOSPITAL FOUNDATION
