Delilah's Story
Gastroschisis
Fetal and Neonatal Medicine
They were expecting twins.
One had a serious medical condition.
Today, they’re chasing two healthy babies.
Delilah's Story
When she was 26 weeks pregnant, Brandi learned that one of the twins she was carrying had a serious birth defect called gastroschisis. In gastroschisis, the stomach and intestines stick out of the body through a hole in the abdominal wall. Brandi’s doctors in Joliet, Ill., referred her to the Rush Fetal and Neonatal Medicine Center for expert care.
Brandi came to Rush for a repeat fetal ultrasound performed by Jacques Abramowicz, MD, co-director of the program and a specialist in obstetric and gynecologic ultrasound. Abramowicz confirmed the referring physicians’ findings. Soon afterward, Brandi and her husband met with the entire clinical team participating in her case. In addition to Abramowicz, the team included neonatologist and program co-director Robert Kimura, MD; program coordinator Maria Reyes, RNC, CNP; pediatric surgeon Ai-Xuan Holterman, MD; neonatologist Aloka Patel, MD; social worker Meghan Howie-Timmel, MSW; and other medical specialists who would be involved in Brandi and her babies’ care. Co-directors Abramowicz and Kimura say Rush is unique in offering this type of consultation, where expectant parents facing a diagnosis of a fetal anomaly, such as gastroschisis, can talk at one time to every specialist involved in their care.
The team established a comprehensive care plan for before the birth, during the delivery and after delivery. A first-time mother, Brandi was already nervous — and became even more so when she learned that one of her twins had a serious health problem. The conference helped allay her fears. "We asked a lot of questions," she says. "It made me feel more comfortable about the team at Rush and how everything was going to go."
Medical emergencies forced the team to modify its plans almost immediately. The team initially hoped to deliver Brandi’s twins at full term. The plan changed when Delilah — the name Brandi and her husband gave to the baby with gastroschisis — began to experience fluctuations in her heart rate while in the womb. Brandi was admitted early for an emergency c-section.
Gastroschisis Treatment and Care
The team faced the next fork in the road after the delivery. Delilah was born much sicker than anyone expected. The team’s first job was to help her get well enough to undergo surgery to repair the gastroschisis. The team placed Delilah on a ventilator to help her recover from meconium aspiration syndrome, which occurs when an infant breathes in meconium — an infant’s first feces — during delivery.
The team’s next challenge was performing emergency surgery when the condition of Delilah’s bowels worsened. After this initial surgery, the team continued its vigil over the sick newborn for nearly two weeks. Finally, she was ready for the surgery to repair her gastroschisis.
Delilah — nicknamed Candy Cane by the surgical residents who cared for her during a stay that included the Christmas season — ultimately spent nearly four months in the hospital.
Today, it is difficult to tell Delilah and her twin sister apart. "A year later, when they came to Rush, I couldn't say which one of the two babies was the one I had diagnosed with gastroschisis," says Abramowicz. "That was my proudest moment." She continues to receive care from pediatric gastroenterologist John Lloyd-Still, MD, who is following Delilah’s progress to ensure that her bowels are healthy and that she is tolerating food and growing appropriately. The smiling baby girl, who loves to dance and clown around, can now look forward to a bright future. Says Brandi: "I really want to thank everyone at Rush, because if she'd been somewhere else, I don't know what would have happened."
Delilah's Story
