The determined Mother

Kim Zwick

Kim Zwick wanted more than anything to be a mother. She had been pregnant once but suffered a miscarriage. When she had trouble conceiving again, she went to a fertility specialist, who discovered that Kim had a bicornuate uterus — her uterus was divided into two separate cavities. This condition increases the chance of infertility and miscarriage, although a woman can still have a healthy pregnancy with the proper care.

When she finally did conceive her second child, Kim took the advice of her fertility specialist and went to the Fetal Assessment Center at Loyola. Staffed with experts in maternal-fetal medicine, the Center specializes in high-risk pregnancies like Kim’s.

Keeping an eye out for potential problems
Because of her condition, Kim was closely monitored throughout her pregnancy. “I was there all the time,” she says. At her 20-week ultrasound, Kim’s doctors became concerned about a potential problem – the baby might have a trisomy chromosomal disorder such as Down’s syndrome – and decided to evaluate further. Loyola arranged for her to meet with a genetic counselor to discuss the risks associated with amniocentesis. “It took a week for the test results to come back, and it was the longest week of my life,” Kim remembered. Fortunately, the test results brought great news. Kim ended up giving birth to a healthy baby boy.

Access to neonatal intensive care
When Kim conceived again, she called the Fetal Assessment Center because of her history of high-risk pregnancies and because of the excellent care she had received during the previous pregnancy: “The nurses there were really great.”

Kim was especially glad that she had chosen Loyola — equipped with a neonatal intensive care unit — when her newborn son suddenly developed heart problems. “They told me they were rushing my son up to ICU because his heart rate had just dropped,” she recalls. She was grateful that the staff was so attentive that they caught her son’s heart problem early — and that the specialists were able to manage the heart problem so easily. Kim is definitely happy with the results of her Loyola experience — two healthy sons. She recommends the Fetal Assessment Center for other women experiencing high-risk pregnancies. “They’re very thorough…The nurses are very understanding, very compassionate.”

The Fetal Assessment Center is located at the Loyola Outpatient Center in Maywood. Services are also offered at Loyola sites in Elmhurst, Glendale Heights and Homer Glen. To learn more or to make an appointment, call (888) LUHS-888.