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HELPING TINY INFANTS SURVIVE AND
THRIVE
In mid-January 1999, Robert and Bonnie Maiella
finally had their entire family together. Their four new babies had all come home from Loyola’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.
Back in April, the Maiellas were amazed when they discovered they had conceived
quintuplets. Determined to do everything possible to have a healthy, safe delivery, they consulted high-risk obstetrician Paul Tomich, M.D., at Loyola and followed through with every test and office visit. But, as expected in cases with multiple babies, Bonnie went
into labor very early. She was admitted to Loyola’s high-risk antenatal unit in preterm labor at 19 weeks.
Roberta Karlman, M.D., Tomich and the maternal-fetal medicine team began a treatment plan to
prolong Bonnie’s pregnancy and give the quintuplets more time to grow in size and strength. Every day gained would increase the babies’ chances of survival and normal development. Through almost two months of careful monitoring, Bonnie and the infants made excellent progress. Then, as the womb became more crowded, one of the infants’ umbilical cord became damaged and the baby died. The Maiellas and their Loyola care team mourned the loss together.
Tears turned to joy one week later. At the thirty-second week of pregnancy, Tomich
performed a Cesarean section and delivered four tiny, but healthy babies — three girls
and a boy, ranging in size from 22 to 39 ounces. Then Loyola’s talented and experienced neonatology team went to work. (In 1989, Loyola provided lifesaving care to a 9-ounce baby — the smallest ever to survive — who is now a thriving 10-year-old.) As the new babies grew strong enough, they were able to go home with the help of Loyola neonatal homecare nurse Mary Ann
Chibek.
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