Jessica and David Davis were married in 2021 and wanted to start a family right away. They found out Jessica was pregnant at the beginning of 2022, but when they went to a 13-week ultrasound appointment at Advocate Lutheran General Hospital, they received unexpected and frightening news.
“We were so excited about seeing our baby on the screen, and then the technician noticed what looked like intestines outside the baby’s body,” Jessica recalled. “It was scary. Our heads were spinning; we had no idea what that meant.”
A clinic manager diagnosed their baby with gastroschisis, a birth defect where a hole in the abdominal wall allows intestines or other internal organs to extend outside the baby’s body. In their baby’s case, part of the bowel was outside the body. The next step was to see Dr. Suwan Mehra, surgical specialist and co-director of the Maternal Fetal Medicine Program at Advocate Children’s Hospital in Park Ridge.
“Dr. Mehra was fantastic. We were so worried about my pregnancy and how our baby would develop, but he talked us through the next steps, explained his plan and answered all our questions.”
Jessica and David met with Dr. Mehra twice a week to monitor their baby girl’s development and make sure there were no complications. The pregnancy progressed smoothly, and Dr. Mehra decided the best course of action would be to do surgery shortly after delivery. Baby Amelia was born just shy of 37 weeks on Oct. 25, 2022.
“Everyone with gastroschisis has a different story, and we felt fortunate to have a straightforward case,” shared Jessica. “Amelia did very well during the surgery, and we were even able to start feedings shortly after.”
Amelia spent a few weeks recovering in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). During that time, Jessica and David got to know the NICU team well.
“They made us feel so comfortable and well cared for. One of the nurses, Lisa, really made an impression. She was especially compassionate and caring. The entire team was amazing.”
Now 6 months old, Amelia is developing normally and keeping her parents’ hands – and hearts – full.
“She’s happy and thriving,” said Jessica. “We’re so grateful to the team at Advocate Children’s for helping us and Amelia through a confusing and difficult time. They made us feel confident that our daughter would be okay.”
About maternal fetal medicine at Advocate Children’s Hospital – Park Ridge
The Center for Fetal Care is one of just a few comprehensive maternal fetal facilities in the country. The Center takes a multidisciplinary approach to care with a multitude of subspecialists on staff from genetic and social counselors to surgeons, cardiologists and neonatologists.
“It’s a one-stop shop to care for pregnant women who have been diagnosed with anomalies. Rather than the mom traveling to meet the subspecialists elsewhere, the subspecialists come to the mom,” explained Dr. Mehra. “They take care of diagnosis, counseling, and education, and provide enough information for patients so they feel confident in their care during their pregnancy. We want families to feel as relaxed as possible during their appointments.”
About 1 in 2,000 pregnancies is diagnosed with gastroschisis, and the Center for Fetal Care at Advocate Children’s is the referral center in Chicagoland, seeing 5-7 of these cases per year.
“In Jessica’s case, the pediatric surgery team was the key to treatment. She and David were one of the calmest, most relaxed, and most composed families we’ve seen,” added Dr. Mehra. “They trusted me and my team, which showed that they were going to be sharp and compassionate parents to their baby. And Amelia came through surgery beautifully.”
The Maternal Fetal Medicine program at Advocate Children’s Hospital is supported, in part, by philanthropy. To help families like Amelia’s, make a gift today.