After what she calls a “challenging” pregnancy, Katie Elmore and her husband, Jordan, were looking forward to the birth of their first baby.
“We had a low level of concern regarding the delivery process and the baby’s health outcomes,” Katie said. “I envisioned what every mother does - a day in the hospital, the golden hours with our baby, then heading right home to settle in to our new life.”
Katie, Jordan and their son Miles, would face a few more challenges before living Katie’s dream. A few weeks before her due date Katie spontaneously went into labor and Miles was born, a bit unexpectedly, at Blessed Beginnings, Blessing Hospital’s maternity care unit.
“The labor and delivery itself was as good as I could have hoped for,” she stated. “Incredible nurses, doctors, and support staff. I felt cared for and everything felt normal and went as planned. It was when I actually delivered Miles that I felt like our family was placed on a rollercoaster.”
Within minutes of the birth, the team identified that Miles was having trouble breathing. He was taken to Blessed Beginnings’ Level II Nursery where he became the patient of Blessing Health System’s neonatal nurse practitioner Lacy Nichols.
Keeping families together from the start
In years past, newborns with complications, like Miles, would more than likely have to be transferred to a hospital in Springfield, Illinois, or St. Louis, Missouri, to meet their healthcare needs. That changed a year-and-a-half-ago when 16-year Blessing Hospital nurse Lacy Nichols became the health system’s first nationally board-certified neonatal nurse practitioner. Her expertise allows most premature babies and other newborns with complications born at Blessing to stay at Blessing to receive the care they need.
“Miles was born with significant breathing difficulties, despite being born at 38 weeks gestation,” Lacy said. “He was diagnosed with Respiratory Distress Syndrome (RDS) which typically affects premature babies, but it can be seen in term babies like Miles as well.”
Miles required CPAP to assist with his breathing. CPAP provides a continuous positive airway pressure that keeps the air sacs in the lungs open between breaths, which is crucial for infants who may not have enough of the natural substance called surfactant within their lungs to keep the air sacs open. Miles’ did not respond to CPAP treatment.
“These were the most vulnerable and terrifying moments of my entire life,” Katie said. “Instead of the joy and fond moments meeting our baby that we expected, instead we faced separation, confusion, and fear. Lacy and the team carefully and empathetically walked me through every part of Miles’ condition.”
Lacy discussed Miles’ situation with a neonatologist at the region’s perinatal center, St. John’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit in Springfield. It was decided that Miles would benefit from a procedure called surfactant replacement therapy. It would require he be intubated – meaning a tube would need to be inserted into his windpipe.
“I walked Katie and Jordan through the process of placing a breathing tube in order to administer the surfactant replacement therapy, that Miles desperately needed, directly into his little lungs,” Lacy said. “I was confident in my ability to perform this procedure. I had done it many times. I also gave them the option for him to be transferred to St. John’s for this procedure. Ultimately, Katie and Jordan decided to have it done here.”
“Having to make quick decisions about a few-hours-old fragile baby is hard,” Katie stated. “Lacy was my strength during this time, when I was depleted emotionally and physically. Lacy even shared her own testimony of being a mother of newborns who required Level II nursery care, all while working around the clock to improve Miles’ condition and avoid the need to transfer him to a hospital in another city. “
“A big part of my job as a neonatal nurse practitioner is educating parents in a way that they can fully understand what is happening with their baby, so they feel empowered to ask questions and be involved,” Lacy explained. “It’s a way to earn their trust during an extremely stressful time. It’s also important to meet them where they are emotionally. I think sharing my own personal experience as a mom who had 3 sick newborns allows parents to relate to me on a different level. I’ve been in their shoes and understand their fears.”
Miles takes a deep breath
Fortunately, the fear Katie felt quickly subsided. Little Miles responded to his therapy. He began breathing normally with no respiratory support and went home with his parents 3 days after he was born.
“During the whole time, from what I understood, depending on how he progressed, there was always the reality that Miles could have been transferred to a higher level neonatal intensive care unit out-of-town,” Katie said. “That would have meant separation, trauma, and hardship for our family.”
“Lacy and the Blessed Beginnings team didn’t miss a beat. From Miles’ first breath they noticed his needs, noticed my needs, and kept our family in the same hospital. I was able to stay close to him, visit him, breastfeed him, and hold him.”
“Caring for vulnerable newborns is a tremendous responsibility, requiring patience, compassion, and unwavering dedication. I could not do the work that I’m doing without the incredible team of neonatal nurses with whom I work alongside every day,” Lacy concluded. “They are the true backbone of our Level II Nursery. There is no greater reward than knowing the care we are providing in our nursery is making a lasting impact from the very first breath of someone’s life.”
Katie pays it forward
A licensed social worker and therapist with a passion for maternity behavioral care, Katie applied for a job at Blessing during her maternity leave and was hired.
“Our family’s birth experience allows me, as a mental health professional, to empathize, understand and share insight with parents on a deeper level, strengthening the therapeutic relationship I build as I help patients navigate healing and growth,” Katie concluded.
For more information on Blessing’s maternity care, go to www.blessinghealth.org/BlessedBeginnings