Matters of the Heart

“When my husband, Niko, and I went in for our 20-week ultrasound, I certainly didn’t expect to learn that our unborn child had a heart defect. It was frightening,” says Nicole. “I was immediately connected with the Maternal Fetal Medicine team at BC Women’s Hospital and they consulted with the cardiology team from BC Children’s so that our baby girl Maya would be born safely.”

Maya arrived June, 2017 at BC Women’s Hospital. Nicole and Niko were prepared to be separated from Maya while she received the specialized care she needed. “It was difficult knowing that we likely would be spending her first few days away from Maya as she received the special care she needed ahead of the surgery,” says Nicole, “but we knew it would be important. She had her first heart surgery when she was 8 days old.”

“I was so grateful when I found out that Maya and I could stay together in the Mother Baby Care unit! And Niko could visit us both.” The BC Women’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) has 10 special  rooms that allow new mothers who  require regular postpartum care, and their newborns who require intensive care, can have this happen in the same room, from the same nurse.

BC Women’s believes that keeping families and their newborns together is crucial during this important  time after birth. “It allowed us to be with Maya as I recovered, and prepared for the next steps in fixing her heart,” says Nicole. Even after needing another surgery at ten weeks, Maya recovered quickly.

Today Maya is a strong toddler with a playful personality. Nicole and Niko chose to celebrate her birth with a that now lives on a hospital wall. The tile is a piece of Maya’s story and their tile wall is a special place to visit as a family.

Commemorate your child or grandchild’s birth with  a BC Women’s Baby Tile.

Photo Credit: Sugarlily Studios