EIRMC nurse’s attention to detail saves baby’s life
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This story is brought to you by Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center, the leading neonatal and pediatric provider in the region. EIRMC offers the most comprehensive and advanced pediatric care, as well as access to pediatric subspecialties for children from birth to 18 years old. It is the only hospital in Idaho Falls with inpatient pediatric care.
Kayleigh learned she was pregnant about one week before the bleeding began. There was a lot of blood. So much so, Kayleigh passed out on the couch. She assumed she was miscarrying but kept praying that it could be something else. Thankfully, it was.
After an ultrasound at a Virginia hospital, a nurse announced to Kayleigh that both heartbeats were strong.
“I took that as my baby’s heartbeat and mine, and I felt relieved I wasn’t having a miscarriage. I think the nurse thought I took the news a little too well, so a second later she clarified and said, ‘You’re having twins!” Kayleigh said. “I was on birth control, so the fact that I was pregnant at all was a shock. … When I called to tell my husband the news about twins, he was silent for a full minute before he said anything.”
Kayleigh’s hemorrhaging, though rare, did not put herself or the twins at risk. She experienced two or three more bouts of bleeding during the first half of her pregnancy, but it stopped by the time she and her husband, Andrew, returned from a summer job in Virginia to their university and home in Idaho.
An unexpected turn: Meeting the twins
At 35-weeks gestation, Kayleigh’s body went into labor, and doctors at EIRMC recognized that Kayleigh needed an emergency C-section. Andrew and Kayleigh’s mom joined the labor and delivery team in the operating room to meet the twins.
Blakely Anne entered the world first, weighing in at 4 pounds, 12 ounces. She arrived strong and sweet, but as Blakely left the womb, her twin sister, Lilah Jane, became buried deep within.
“Lilah got sucked back into my stomach and turned breach. It was terrifying. She was not moving at all, and I could hear panic in the doctor’s voice,” Kayleigh said. “When Lilah did come out, she didn’t look good. … They were rushed to the NICU, and I joined them about 90 minutes later to get a good look at them. By then, all was well.”
Being born a bit early, the twins needed round-the-clock, high-quality medical care. Within the Level III NICU, board-certified neonatologists, respiratory therapists, specialized dieticians, social workers and pediatric nurses collaborate to provide the best care for the smallest patients.
In fact, it was one nurses’ attention to detail that saved little Lilah Jane.
How a NICU nurse’s attention to detail saved her daughter’s life
“A nurse walked by Lilah’s bed and noticed her tummy distended. I’m so thankful for her! Because she saw it, they called for an X-ray and sure enough, her stomach was filled with air. That means, there had to be a hole somewhere in her stomach to let that air in,” Kayleigh said.
The serious medical situation required immediate action, as Lilah’s life was in jeopardy. Thankfully, the region’s first pediatric surgeon, Dr. Adrian Curnow, recently joined EIRMC and knew exactly what to do.
“It was an exploratory surgery that took between four and five hours. Dr. Curnow found three small holes on her lower stomach. He found the problem and fixed it right there,” Kayleigh said.
Had a pediatric surgeon not been available, this story would have had a much different ending. Without Dr. Curnow, Lilah would have been transported by helicopter to Utah.
“We would have had two babies, in two NICUs, in two states,” Kayleigh said. “I had just had surgery, so I was in the hospital too. Plus, we were both taking finals at school, and it was the weekend of our first anniversary. I’m so thankful we could stay together and stay where we were!”
Melissa, Kayleigh’s mother, says she felt a deep appreciation for Dr. Curnow’s powerful blend of knowledge, experience and kindness.
“He spent so much time talking with us, explaining everything in laymen’s terms, and he had no ego. Although this guy is all that and a bag of chips, he’d never say that. He was compassionate and down to earth, and he gave God all the credit,” Melissa said.
The best care: Trusting and choosing EIRMC
Blakely and Lilah spent 22 days at the EIRMC NICU before going home. They’re now six weeks old and progressing nicely. Although Kayleigh wouldn’t mind getting some more sleep, she’s overjoyed with her happy, healthy little girls and the hospital that helped them get here.
“I have so much trust for EIRMC, especially those NICU nurses and how they pay attention to every detail. I watched the (doctors and nurses) in the hospital, and I saw how they handled our little girls – they took the best care of them! That’s why, as long as I live here, I’ll say, ‘Take me to EIRMC!’” Kayleigh said.