By Kim Anderson With two boys in elementary school and her 41st birthday behind her, Christina Feliciano thought her family was set. Her boys were becoming more independent, and she and her husband had left the world of bottles and blankets for one of basketballs and bicycles. As luck would have it, 2022 would change all of that—for the better. “I ran out of birth control, but it was just a short gap,” Christina said. “I just started feeling like something was off. At my age, I thought it was really unlikely that I would be pregnant, but I decided to take a home test.” The test was positive, and she quickly established care with OB-GYN John Kim, M.D., at Coeur Obstetrics and Gynecology. “After age 35, women are at higher risk for complications like pre-eclampsia and diabetes,” said Dr. Kim. “With more people waiting to have kids, we are seeing more women over age 35 having babies. We monitored Christina and her baby very closely. After 20 weeks, we saw her every four weeks with an ultrasound to measure for fetal growth. After 32 weeks, we saw her twice a week for nonstress tests and US (ultrasound-guided) fluid checks that are used to detect fetal well-being. Christina is such a pleasant person—her attitude contributed greatly to how well her pregnancy and delivery went.” Care around the clock Because both of Christina’s sons were born early—one born two weeks early and the other a full month early— she and her care team were concerned about preterm labor. At 30 weeks, when she began having twiceweekly appointments, they made sure the baby’s heart rate was OK and checked to see if Christina was having contractions. Twice before her new baby’s birth, there were enough concerns to send her to Kootenai Health’s obstetrics emergency department (OB ED), a unique emergency department developed specifically for women who are pregnant or have given birth within the past six weeks. Specially trained nurses and obstetric hospitalists— physicians who specialize in caring for patients at the hospital—cover the OB ED around the clock. “Not all hospitals have an OB ED,” said Kim Jorgensen, director of nursing for women’s and children’s services at Kootenai Health. “At Kootenai, our OB ED is in the family birth center and separate from our regular emergency department. Women can come in at any point in their pregnancy or up to six weeks postpartum and receive care with a team and facility built especially for their needs. It is really special for Kootenai Health to be able to offer this service.” Christina had been having contractions when she arrived for her second visit to the OB ED, on Dec. 5. “I was there for two hours. Everyone was great, but my labor wasn’t progressing,” Christina said. “The doctor at the hospital talked to me about what was happening, and we decided I should go home and wait. He gave me a lot of good information; I’m glad I listened to him.” One week later, Christina went into labor for real. “It was 2 a.m. and I needed to use the bathroom,” she said. “Things started moving, and I was in a lot of pain. I had a contraction-counting app on my phone, and I could see they were coming between two and three minutes apart. My husband asked if we needed to go to the hospital, and I said yes. Then he asked me again. Then a third time. It was kind of funny.” Speedy delivery Christina’s concerns that she would be sent home to wait again soon vanished. Within an hour, she was in labor. As her labor progressed, she reached a point when the pain was no longer bearable. With no time for an epidural to Oh, Baby! A 41-year-old mom experiences motherhood again 10
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