Not all pregnancies go smoothly. Some new moms encounter a multitude of life-threatening challenges. This was true for Chelsea Hobbs, who experienced a number of critical medical issues during her pregnancy with her fourth child.
Early in Chelsea’s pregnancy, she started bleeding and was diagnosed with a subchorionic hematoma, which eventually cleared up. But it didn’t end there. At Chelsea’s 20-week scan, doctors discovered placenta previa, a low-laying placenta, which put Chelsea’s life at risk. They also discovered vasa previa, when fetal blood vessels are exposed, which can put the baby in life-threatening danger if one of these vessels were to bleed.
One night in her 27th week of pregnancy, Chelsea started to bleed again and was rushed to the hospital. Because of the two different conditions, it was difficult to know whether the bleeding was from Chelsea or her baby. Faced with two life-threatening situations, it was determined that she needed to be in a level 4 hospital, and to Chelsea’s relief, she was admitted to BC Women’s Hospital + Health Centre.
“I was monitored by the team of maternal fetal medicine doctors who worked very closely together to be sure the baby was growing and that we were both doing OK,” explained Chelsea.
When she experienced some false labour at 31 weeks, her doctors decided not to take any chances, and prepped Chelsea for delivery. Soon after, Baby Lucy was born.
The seriousness of the situation was not over. Baby Lucy was nine weeks premature, so she went directly into the BC Women’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), she would spend six weeks receiving critical care and being carefully monitored. “Knowing Lucy was in such capable hands made all the difference,” Chelsea shared, “there is something so special about having a nurse that wants to hold your baby for you. With three other kids at home, I couldn’t always be there, but knowing she was receiving the best care brought me so much comfort and relieved my stress.”
Thanks to the exceptional care received at BCWH, Chelsea has recovered and today Lucy is a happy, healthy toddler. Chelsea is so very grateful for the level of care they received at BCWH. “If it weren’t for all the amazing nurses and doctors at BC Women’s Hospital, I really truly don’t think my daughter and I would be here today.”
Lucy at 2.5 years old.
Learn how you can support the most fragile babies at BC Women’s NICU, just like Baby Lucy.
