Katie and her husband had struggled for several years to start a family. She underwent various tests, met with genetic counsellors, and even dug into family medical history to try to find an explanation for why she hadn’t been able to become pregnant. There seemed to be no answer, until a close friend referred her to Dr. Michael Contro, an Obstetrics & Gynecology specialist at Good Samaritan Hospital.
Switching to Good Samaritan Hospital changed everything.
After looking into Katie and her husband’s health records from other medical centers and listening to their concerns, Dr. Contro came to a simple conclusion: Katie was OK, and she was going to have a baby.
Dr. Contro determined that due to her pre-existing generalized anxiety disorder, the stress of trying to conceive with no real answers and attempting to find the underlying cause of the issue was the actual reason Katie may have been struggling to get pregnant. Once Dr. Contro reassured Katie nothing was wrong, her anxiety was alleviated. One month later, Katie was pregnant.
Shortly thereafter, Katie was introduced to Dr. Mark Fierro. Dr. Fierro went further than being just Katie’s doctor. He was her advocate, there to alleviate all thoughts of anxiety no matter how big or small, and when emergency struck, Dr. Fierro was available immediately and prepared to keep Katie and her baby safe and comfortable. Katie’s medical team ensured she was not only physically healthy, but mentally healthy too.
At 35 weeks, Katie was diagnosed with pre-eclampsia, a hypertensive disorder that can develop during pregnancy or postpartum that can cause significant health risks. She delivered via c-section a week later. During the entire process, her medical team went above and beyond to tend to her every need. Their calm and confident demeanor eased Katie’s anxiety during and after her delivery. And the years of stress were all worth it once she had her healthy baby girl in her arms.
“It was important to me to ensure Katie understood that while this situation was entirely foreign to her, this was just a normal day at work for us,” said Dr. Fierro. “We were well-versed on the procedure and were there to cater to any and all of her concerns.”
A year later, Katie was back at Good Samaritan Hospital awaiting the birth of her second child. Knowing Katie’s history, Dr. Fierro watched her closely throughout the pregnancy, monitoring for symptoms of pre-eclampsia. At 37 weeks, he diagnosed Katie with pre-eclampsia again, and prepped her to give birth as soon as possible.
When Katie entered the operating room to deliver her second baby via c-section, members of her medical team already were experts on everything-Katie: her past conditions, her fertility history, and her anxieties. While her second baby did have to spend a short time in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, both mom and baby were well taken care of, and Katie and her husband were happy to welcome home another healthy baby girl.
When describing her experience at Good Samaritan Hospital, Katie said that “it felt like the Good Samaritan team didn’t go into the hospital that day to perform just any C-section, they were there to perform Katie’s C-section. The experience was entirely tailored to me and my needs, and the nurses were my guardian angels from start to finish.”
Katie and her two babies are testament to the importance of treating the whole person, a goal that Good Samaritan Hospital doctors and nurses embody every day. While her previous doctors were searching for a physical answer to the cause of why Katie hadn’t gotten pregnant sooner, Dr. Contro and Dr. Fierro looked deeper than the tests and family history, and healed Katie from the inside out through kindness, patience, and understanding.
Sometimes the biggest problems can be solved by simply listening to patients, showing them compassion and embodying the Good Samaritan Hospital mission to care like family.