Methodist Healthcare System | Keeping Well | Winter 2018

B abies born at Methodist Hospital during the week of Christmas will be sent home nestled in their own Christmas stockings, handmade by Blue Bird Auxiliary volunteers. The 10-member sew- ing committee begins making the stockings each spring. Dressing the babies in the Christmas stockings has been a tradition at Methodist Hospital for more than 50 years. The babies are brought to their parents for the first time in the stockings and have their first photo taken in them, making the stockings treasured family keepsakes. NICU staff at Methodist Hospital saves critically ill infant whose mom wished for her on a shooting star I f you are ever lucky enough to see a shoot- ing star, Elizabeth Riojas, of Kerrville, strongly encourages you to make a wish. In fall 2016, she wished on a shooting star to have a baby. Though her pregnancy was high-risk and her baby was born four months premature, her wish came true, thanks to the expertise and commitment of the staff in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Methodist Hospital. On March 15, Charlotte Star Adamson, named in memory of the shooting star, was born weighing just 12 ounces. Her original due date was July 17, so she was 23 weeks premature. Airlifted to Methodist Hospital from Kerrville, Riojas thought that she was going to lose her baby four times. But she wasn’t going to give up on her baby, and neither was the hospital staff. “An entire NICU team cared for us,” said Riojas. “We received nonstop care.” Charlotte Star had to undergo a surgical procedure to regulate blood flow to her lungs, and she received injections to her eyes to treat retinopathy of prema- turity, a condition that can lead to retina damage. She was on oxygen and had a feeding tube. Charlotte Star left the hospital with her family in September and is doing great. At Methodist Hospital, critically ill babies like Charlotte have access to the best care available close to home. Earliest premature baby to survive was born at Methodist Children’s Hospital The worldwide medical community is celebrating the survival of the earliest premature baby in hopes that it will provide a new outlook on extremely premature births. The baby was delivered at Methodist Children’s Hospital, a campus of Methodist Hospital, in 2014, and is now a healthy toddler. She is 3 years old and doing well in preschool. The infant, who was not named because of family wishes, weighed less than a pound and was delivered at 21 weeks and four days. Any baby born before 37 weeks is considered premature. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in the United States last year, one in every 10 babies was born premature. Kaashif Ahmad, MD, a MEDNAX-affiliated neo- natologist at the Pediatrix Medical Group, was the doctor. He is lead author of a study about the girl’s development recently pub- lished in Pediatrics . At birth, the baby’s skin was so thin it was almost see-through, a wed- ding ring could fit around her arm, and she was blue. Dr. Ahmad spoke to the mom about her infant’s extremely low chances of survival and counseled her against resuscitation. She asked him to try, and he did. When doctors placed a breathing tube into her airway, the baby turned pink. “I’m very happy I did that,” Dr. Ahmad said. “She is a wonderful, beau- tiful little girl.” He said more research needs to be done on ex- tremely premature births and hopes this case will become a benchmark for learning how to avoid future preterm birth fatalities. For more information about the Blue Bird Auxiliary, visit www.sabluebird.org. Methodist Hospital’s Blue Bird Auxiliary continues tradition of sending newborn babies home in Christmas stockings A STAR IS BORN W I N T E R 2 0 1 8 5 K E E P I N G W E L L