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Riverside Woman Welcomes Two Healthy Children from Complicated Pregnancies

Linda Sanduski, 39 of Riverside, Ill., was confined to bed rest for the last four months of her pregnancy in late 2003. “I was going stir crazy, but I would have done anything to have a child. I literally checked off every day on the calendar with a V [for victory],” she said. “I followed doctor’s orders precisely and went in every week for check ups. The physicians and nurses were extremely supportive and realistic.”

Loyola University Health System’s Fetal Assessment Center is the clinic that Ms. Sanduski visited weekly. The center is led by seven board-certified maternal fetal medicine specialists and offers the full range of prenatal diagnostic and genetic tests, such as the highest level of ultrasound scanning available.

Her wait was rewarded on Nov. 25, 2003, when son Stephen was born at 38 1/2 weeks by a scheduled Caesarean section at LUHS.

What made the pregnancy and successful birth especially emotional for Ms. Sanduski was that, a year and a half earlier, her first baby boy, Christopher, was born at 24 weeks, which is considered the borderline for viability. The baby died 12 days later.

Ms. Sanduski’s physician, Kenneth Frjelich, MD, a general obstetrician/gynecologist at the Loyola Family Health Center at North Riverside, delivered Christopher by Caesarean section. During the operation, he saw that the patient’s uterus had a septum – a wall that extended about four to six inches down the uterine cavity – which had caused her early labor.

About 5 percent of all women have some type of uterine malformation – a septum is most common. Uterine malformations are rarely detected prior to pregnancy and, once pregnancy is underway, there is very little that can be done, according to John Gianopoulos, MD, a maternal fetal medicine specialist at LUHS and chair of the Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology at the LUC Stritch School of Medicine. Bleeding during pregnancy can be a sign of uterine malformation, but 20 percent of all women have some bleeding during pregnancy, he noted.

Losing Christopher “was a very, very difficult chapter in my life,” Ms. Sanduski said. She and her husband attended an infant grieving support group at LUHS. “That really helped me – just to know we were not alone,” she said. “I was very determined to figure out what happened and to have another baby.”

Ms. Sanduski was helped by a team of experts at LUHS. “They sat with me and gave me as much time as I needed. They were very realistic, very supportive and very optimistic. They said, ‘We can’t guarantee the outcome, but we’ll do everything in our power to help you through a successful pregnancy, if it’s possible.’”

Her caregivers included a reproductive endocrinologist who operated on her uterus to remove the septum; a maternal fetal medicine specialist to manage her complicated pregnancy; and a hematologist for a blood clotting disorder that was discovered after her first Caesarean section.

Teamwork among specialists is crucial to LUHS’ success in caring for women with complicated pregnancies, and that teamwork extends beyond the specialty areas of obstetrics and pediatrics, according to Dr. Gianopoulos.

“We care for many patients with chronic medical problems,” Dr. Gianopoulos said. “The beauty of our maternal fetal medicine service is strong collaboration with hematologists, cardiologists, pulmonologists, nephrologists and others as needed.”

Such multidisciplinary collaboration is crucial especially for the women in LUHS’ obstetrical intensive care unit (ICU). It is the only obstetrical ICU in Illinois and is based on an innovative model in which maternal fetal medicine specialists remain the primary doctors for their patients while specialists in other fields provide consultation. The unit is designed specifically for women with critical medical conditions such as eclampsia, cardiovascular disease, renal disease, cancer or trauma.

The Fetal Assessment Center and the obstetrical ICU are pieces of a comprehensive program at LUHS designed to ensure the best outcomes for mother and baby. Another piece is the neonatal intensive care unit, which boasts one of the state’s best survival rates for low birth weight babies.

Ms. Sanduski was overjoyed to finally welcome Stephen into the world. “He was healthy and beautiful,” she said. “I thank God, and I thank the team of Loyola experts.” Not long after his birth, Ms. Sanduski was given the go-ahead from her caregivers to try for another baby. Lauren was born full-term and healthy on Oct. 10, 2005.

After the weekly visits and intensive support, it was emotional for Ms. Sanduski to say goodbye to her caregivers at LUHS. “They were like my family,” she said. “It was almost sad to have my last appointment. It was more than just a hospital experience to me. This was part of my life.”

To make an appointment with a maternal fetal medicine specialist, call (888) LUHS-888.