Stories of Hope
If you’re facing a high-risk pregnancy, know you’re not alone. Read our Stories of Hope and share in the journeys of mothers like you who have worked with Fetal Care Center Dallas.
Creed’s Update
Do you remember our story on baby Creed, who had bladder surgery while he was still in the womb to help prevent lung and kidney damage? Creed, now 20 months old, needed a kidney transplant but was struggling with aspiration pneumonia. Fortunately, he was able to have a successful surgery to remove a cyst on his lung. His mother, Alyssa, has shared an update with Dr. Magee, who was Creed’s first doctor while he was still in the womb:
“After many, many tears and much relief, my husband and I were talking about specifically what we had prayed for prior to surgery. The cyst was exactly what we had prayed for — it was ‘out’ of Creed’s lung. Miracles still happen today. I haven’t stopped thinking about you because of your saying: ‘We treat them, but God heals them.’ Without the procedure you performed in September 2019, we would not have been able to witness this miracle. We named him Creed for a reason; it means “to believe.” Thank you for your work in the medical field. We pray for your facility and all your patients.”
Alex & Jacob
Part 1
Alex and her husband, Jacob, were thrilled at the prospect of having a new baby join their happy 2-year-old daughter. When Alex went in for a sonogram, just eight weeks into her pregnancy, she got unexpected news: The doctor heard three strong heartbeats! This was a shock because they knew there was only one fertilized egg, as a result of successful in-vitro fertilization (IVF). This meant that the single egg had split into three embryos during the earliest stage of development. The incidence of spontaneous identical triplets (monozygotic) is rare — occurring in about 1 in every 100,000 pregnancies — though it can be more likely to occur with IVF.
Alex’s pregnancy was quickly diagnosed as “high-risk.” All three babies shared the same placenta — two were in one amniotic sac, and one was in another — compounding the normal risks of a multiple pregnancy. Alex came to Fetal Care Center Dallas, where she was immediately cared for by the high-risk pregnancy “dream team” of Dr. Nicole Yost, Dr. Katherine Jelliffe and Dr. Maythem Al-Kubaisi. Together, they examined the triplets and created a plan for Alex’s pregnancy.
Part 2
The Fetal Care Center Dallas team identified heart defects in at least one of Alex’s triplets, and they were concerned that Alex was at risk for early labor. A month after Alex was required to go on bed rest (at 19 weeks), she was admitted to Medical City Dallas, where she says she had a “great experience.” In May 2020, about 10 weeks before her due date, Alex went into labor and delivered three tiny baby girls via Cesarean section. Avery weighed just 2 pounds, 14 ounces, and her sisters, Chloe and Brooklyn, each weighed 3 pounds.
Brooklyn was able to thrive and grow normally, but Avery and Chloe each had life-threatening heart defects that needed repairs before they could go home. Fetal Care pediatric cardiologists Dr. Maythem Al-Kubaisi and Dr. Reanu Eapen joined forces with renowned Medical City pediatric heart surgeon Dr. Kris Guleserian to expertly care for Avery and Chloe. Alex says, “Dr. Eapen was a godsend,” and “Dr. Al-Kubaisi was incredibly sweet, listened to me carefully and made things happen when I was losing it.”
Part 3
By late November 2020, Dr. Gulesarien (a “rock star,” according to Alex) had completed complex surgical repairs on each of the girl’s hearts, and they were finally able to go home. It was a very special Thanksgiving for the parents and their four little girls. Today, Avery and Chloe continue to face manageable daily medical challenges, and the triplets are in various stages of growing, crawling and exercising happily in their jumpers. Alex says it’s been a long, hard journey, but coming home was their dream — and they made it.
The Jones Family
Sara Powell
Baby Uriah
Baby Martinez – News Article
Read Baby Martinez’s story with CBS19 by clicking here.
Rafi – Christmas Story
Celia was excited about her new baby boy that was due in February 2020. But in late 2019, her life in the Texas Panhandle was interrupted when her baby, still in utero, was diagnosed with a serious fetal condition called Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia (CDH). The condition occurs when the diaphragm — the muscle that separates the chest from the abdomen and assists in breathing — forms incorrectly during fetal development. About 1 in 2500 babies is diagnosed with CDH, and only about half of them will survive. Dr. Tim Crombleholm and the team at Fetal Care Center Dallas, including Dr. Reenu Eapen and Dr. Maytham Al-Kubaisi, established a delivery and treatment plan that would give her baby the very best opportunity of survival. On February 12, baby Rafael (Rafi) was born. He was immediately intubated and placed in the NICU at Medical City Children’s Hospital. As expected, Rafi’s condition was very precarious and he fought through many complications over the next several weeks. But under the intensive care and support of FCC’s expert team of physician specialists and a lot of love from his family and hospital staff, Rafi began to slowly grow and get stronger. He was a favorite among the nurses, who adored him and said he was definitely “not a morning person.” They spoiled him with constant attention, highlighted by lots of comforting rocking. By July, the big day arrived and Rafi could finally go home to Dalhart, TX, after a five-month heroic struggle with CDH. Rafi’s mom, Celia, reports now he has been doing well at home. She says he is “wild” and has an attitude that keeps her laughing. He continues to grow and is large for his age. He is eating “perfectly fine” now and is working on oral skills. Like any 10-month old, he especially enjoys running around in his walker! We are blessed and thrilled to be able to say “Merry Christmas Rafi!”
Anne Scott
A recent patient, Anne Scott, shares her experience with Dr. Yost and the Fetal Care Center Dallas team!
“With the exception of reaching far into Advanced Maternal Age, I, fortunately, did not have any other medical concerns with my pregnancy at the time I was seen by Dr. Yost at Fetal Care Center of Dallas (FCCD). Out of an abundance of caution and “delicate” pressure from friends and family, I was referred to Dr. Yost due to a previous history of preterm labor and birth.
From my initial telephone contact with FCCD to scheduling the appointment to a history intake with Seeley DeOre, RN, to my appointment with the Neonatal Cardiologist, and Dr. Yost, my experience with FCCD was seamless! I was treated with such compassion and respect and during my thorough examination and I left my appointment with a clear understanding of a health concern and well-defined game plan. Despite my baby’s diagnosis of a minor heart defect, my questions, concerns, and fears were abundantly answered by Dr. Yost. She provided me with evidence-based research and data and went into great detail with the anatomy scan of my baby, which was incredibly appreciated. Even in the face of an unexpected diagnosis, I left FCCD with an incredible support team and a renewal of my confidence from Dr. Yost and her wonderful staff. I highly recommend FCCD to anyone who is facing uncertainty in their pregnancy!”
Creed’s Update
We shared Creed’s amazing story at Christmas, and have just received a new update from Jesse and Alyssa. All of us at Fetal Care Center Dallas could not be more excited to hear about Creed as he grows up!
Dr. Magee,
Our baby boy is 8 months old! One year ago this week we found out that something was wrong with Creed, but we had no idea the journey we would take with him. While everything was still uncertain last July we prayed and believed (Creedo) he would be ok. Now, at 8 months old, his nephrologist told us it’s unlikely he will even need dialysis at this point. He’s heading toward a kidney transplant, and we’ll meet with that team around his first birthday.
Jesse put this video together for our church family as we celebrated his baptismal remembrance a few weeks ago. We wanted to share it with you as you were (and still are) such an important part of his journey!
Creed Update
To prevent life-threatening lung and kidney damage, baby Creed needed surgery for bladder outlet obstruction while he was still in his mother’s womb. His parents, Jesse and Alyssa, brought him from Kansas City to Fetal Care Center Dallas, where fetal surgeon Dr. Tim Crombleholme used advanced fetoscopic evaluation to pinpoint the problem and guide the care plan. Dr. Kevin Magee, a maternal-fetal medicine and surgery specialist performed the amnioinfusion procedure to help Creed’s lungs develop. Six weeks later, Creed was born back home in Kansas City on November 4, 2019. Jesse and Alyssa have kindly shared an update on Creed:
“Dr. Magee, I wanted to give you an update on our strong baby boy Creed. You were right; he is a redhead! We are incredibly thankful for you and the work your staff does. We believe the procedure you did for him at 30 weeks saved his life. Multiple times we’ve heard the doctors say, “It’s amazing how well his lungs are doing. He’s doing way better than anybody here expected.” Our trip to Dallas will forever be our most beloved memory of the pregnancy. Thank you for supporting life – even in its smallest stage.”
As Dr. Magee likes to quote, “We treat them and God heals them.”
Creed’s Christmas
To prevent life-threatening lung and kidney damage, baby Creed needed surgery for bladder outlet obstruction while he was still in his mother’s womb. His parents, Jesse and Alyssa, brought him from Kansas City to Fetal Care Center Dallas, where fetal surgeon Dr. Tim Crombleholme used advanced fetoscopic evaluation to pinpoint the problem and guide the care plan. Dr. Kevin Magee, a maternal-fetal medicine and surgery specialist performed the amnioinfusion procedure to help Creed’s lungs develop. Six weeks later, Creed was born back home in Kansas City on November 4, 2019. Jesse and Alyssa have kindly shared an update on Creed:
“Dr. Magee, I wanted to give you an update on our strong baby boy Creed. You were right; he is a redhead! We are incredibly thankful for you and the work your staff does. We believe the procedure you did for him at 30 weeks saved his life. Multiple times we’ve heard the doctors say, “It’s amazing how well his lungs are doing. He’s doing way better than anybody here expected.” Our trip to Dallas will forever be our most beloved memory of the pregnancy. Thank you for supporting life – even in its smallest stage.”
As Dr. Magee likes to quote, “We treat them and God heals them.”