Maternal-Fetal Medicine (High-Risk Pregnancy Care)

[MUSIC PLAYING] I chose the University of Chicago Medicine because I thought I was experiencing labor pain.

Kahari's mom — she was about 26 weeks and 2 days when she first came. And she had ruptured membranes.

And they indeed confirmed that I was in labor and having contractions.

The baby was upside down, so the baby was breached. So she was obviously at risk to have a C-section.

I kind of thought we were going to be able to keep him inside of her longer. But the very next day after we got to the hospital, he had come out.

Kahari was born almost 3 and 1/2 months premature. The issues like premature babies, like requiring oxygen, like requiring a breathing machine. But eventually, he recovered really well.

I think we do best is in terms of this very multi-disciplinary care, we have a lot of expertise in terms of years, as well as individuals expertise that we have for all kinds of patients with complications. Probably the only hospital that — at least I have worked in — where you have the NICU on the second floor, or very, very close proximity to the labor and delivery floor. It has been tremendously beneficial to our patients.

The NICU team was phenomenal.

We want to start from day one, if we can.

Everybody on that team helped my family to understand every part of Kahari's care so that we could best be able to care for him when we got home.

So NICU is part of our MFM team. And I think it's been fantastic for our patients, especially for all these pre-term babies, and all kinds of complications, that we have them in the same building. And I think it's very special that everybody is really very dedicated to honor babies here.

Then he's like a normal baby. If I see him in the shopping mall, it is very difficult for me to say he was born premature. That means he's smiling at parents. Kahari will have a healthy, normal childhood.

I love holding him, I love sniffing him. I love everything about him. [MUSIC PLAYING]