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despite the holiday. After a swift
evaluation, it was determined
Erica would need an emergency
C-section.
Before being able to undergo
surgery, Erica needed a blood
transfusion to replace some of
the blood she had lost. The team
was able to get an IV started for
the transfusion, but by the time
Erica reached the operating room
for the procedure, the anesthesi-
ologist had to start a new IV—her
vein was no good. After several
attempts to get an IV started,
Dr. Penney was forced to start the
C-section.
“Erica was given local anes-
thesia,” Dr. Webb said. “There
just wasn’t a way to give her a
regional or a general anesthetic
when the case was started. We
did get her off to sleep a few
seconds later.”
What struck Dr. Webb most
was Dr. Penney’s compassion and
Erica’s bravery. “He told her it
was going to hurt, and she told
him to go ahead,” she said. “I
also remember Cassy Oddy, the
charge nurse, saying, ‘You just
hold my hand and squeeze as
hard as you like,’ and that’s what
Erica did. Cassy never left her.”
The C-section was a success,
and at just 33 weeks and
3 days; 4 pounds, 15 ounces
and 18 inches, Elena Brynn was
welcomed into the world.
“When Dr. Penney put the baby
in my arms, she began to cry, and
I knew she was going to be okay,”
Dr. Webb said. “I have never felt
more proud of our team than I did
in that moment.”
The next thing Erica remembers
is waking up in the recovery room
and seeing her husband’s face.
“He was trying to tell me some-
thing,” she recalled. She said it
took several minutes before she
could comprehend what Brett was
saying, but eventually “We have a
baby girl” resonated.
H E A L T H Y A N D T H R I V I N G
Elena and Erica were transferred
back to Kadlec after spending a
few days at Kootenai Health. To
ensure mom and baby could go
home together, Kootenai helped
by paying for half of the neonatal
transfer costs.
Elena is a happy, healthy baby
girl today. She was released from
Kadlec’s neonatal intensive care
unit after 24 days. Since being
born, Elena has nearly doubled
her weight and continues to thrive
under the care of her parents.
“It’s amazing how everything
fell into place on Labor Day,”
Erica said. “If it hadn’t been
for Lynn, Dr. Penney, Dr. Webb,
the emergency response team
and all the nursing staff at
Kootenai, Elena and I wouldn’t
be here today. We are very
blessed that things went as
well as they did.”
Expecting? Kootenai Health’s Birthing Center
offers the highest standards of care. For more
information, call
(208) 625-4276
.
KH . ORG
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