May 30, 2023 By South Shore Health
When Jillian Tedeschi, 38, experienced an emergency 30 weeks into her pregnancy, the EMTs who answered her 9-1-1 call determined she wasn’t going to make it to Boston. With critical minutes to spare, they brought her to South Shore Hospital where she underwent an emergency C-section that saved both her life and the life of her newborn daughter, Monroe.
“We are alive because of them,” said Tedeschi. “The care that we received at South Shore Hospital, between myself and Monroe was exceptional, and in some ways better than what we would have experienced had we gone into Boston.”
Tedeschi’s story is just one example of the extraordinary and enhanced specialty care offered at South Shore Hospital, part of South Shore Health. Offering the first-of-its-kind Obstetrics Emergency Department (OB ED) in Massachusetts, the hospital cares for any mother who is over 20-weeks pregnant and may be experiencing a pregnancy-related emergency.
“The OB ED program promotes continuity of care, patient safety, expedited treatment, and better outcomes for pregnant women over 20 weeks of gestation,” explained Kimberly Dever, MD, Vice President, Medical Affairs and Chair of Obstetrics and Gynecology. “It is a highly beneficial resource for any expectant mother, offering peace of mind and knowing their concerns are being managed with specialized expertise.”
Open 24/7, 365 days a year, the OB ED can assess, treat, and discharge obstetrical patients much faster than a general emergency department or obstetrical triage setting. Located in the Birthing Unit of South Shore Hospital, it ensures quick access to surgical care – much like Tedeschi’s case – for the most serious pregnancy-related emergencies. Anesthesiologists and neonatologists are always on staff and ready for emergencies.
“The team was outside waiting for me and they wheeled me right into a room and hooked me up onto a monitor,” explained Tedeschi. “We could hear Monroe’s heartbeat, but it was getting weaker and weaker. They took me into surgery and when I woke up, the nurse told me that she came out crying and weighed 3.5 pounds.”
Monroe spent a total of 84 days in South Shore Hospital’s Messina Family Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) and Level II Andrade Family Special Care Nursery – two additional, highly specialized resources also available to newborns and their families.
The NICU is the first and only Level III NICU located in a community hospital in Massachusetts, and both units are dual-affiliated with doctors from both South Shore Hospital and Boston Children’s Hospital.
Now 8 months old, Tedeschi says Monroe is thriving – all thanks to the timely intervention and expert care she and mom received, close to home.
“Her primary team became an extension of family and friends, not just our caregivers,” she said. “We cannot speak more highly about our experience. We had something very serious and traumatic happen, and we are alive because of them today.”
South Shore Hospital’s Obstetrics Emergency Department, NICU and SSN are staffed with the most wonderful and caring medical providers. We are so fortune to have them so close by. I cannot say enough positive things about them and our experience there. Congratulations on Monroe’s homecoming.