After several years of undergoing fertility treatments, 31-year-old Shannon Cinquegrana and her husband finally found themselves preparing for an expanded family. Throughout her pregnancy, Shannon met regularly with Randall Burt, M.D., a physician on the medical staff of Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Plano and at OB/GYN Associates of North Dallas. Together, the two made plans for Shannon’s vaginal delivery.

Amidst the tremendous joy and anticipation, the Cinquegranas’ journey to parenthood took some unexpected turns. Originally expecting twins, they experienced the loss of one fetus early in the pregnancy. And then there were the events that unfolded on delivery day.

Collaborative Care When It Mattered Most

Shannon went through the normal laboring process for about 24 hours and spent two hours pushing with little success. The decision was ultimately made to proceed with a Cesarean delivery when it was discovered that Shannon had a prominent tailbone.

The C-section took place without any issues and Baby Roman soon made his arrival. He was healthy — weighing in at 7 lbs., 9 ounces. Shannon, however, continued to bleed after her wound was stitched up. As a result, she needed a massive blood transfusion of 22 units of blood. Once she was stabilized, she was transferred from the Labor & Delivery (L&D) unit to the hospital’s intensive care unit (ICU).

“The doctors and nurses acted quickly and began to triage my situation to try and resolve it,” she says. “But due to the amount of blood loss, shock, and medications that I was on, I wasn’t 100-percent coherent in understanding what was happening. There were what seemed like 15 or more people in my room cohesively working together to try and control the bleeding.”

That cohesive group of caregivers included Dr. Burt, who remained by Shannon and her husband’s sides to help ensure everything was being done to care for the new mom. Shannon’s primary L&D nurse continued to check in on her as nurses on the hospital’s ICU staff closely monitored her condition. And because she couldn’t be in a room with her newborn, a nurse from the hospital’s Mother/Baby unit saw to it that Baby Roman was able to visit — even in the ICU.

“I was thankful she made it possible for me to still be able to see him,” Shannon recalls. “That first night in particular was hard because I was unable to be with him like I had imagined. She also provided exceptional care once I was moved to Mother/Baby.”

“To be honest there were so many individuals that assisted in essentially saving my life and supporting my recovery at Texas Health Plano; I hope they all know how grateful we are,” she adds. “Of course, I truly believe if it wasn’t for my OB-GYN and his partners, I may not be here today.”

The Journey Beyond the ICU

Shannon spent two days in intensive care before being well enough to transfer to the Mother/Baby unit, where she could fully reunite with her son. She was able to breastfeed a little here and there during those first few days but for the most part Roman was fed donated breastmilk provided by the hospital. Once home, Shannon was met with the challenge of navigating her own recovery while still trying to support her newborn.

“Recovering from both a C-section and transfusion made it that much harder,” she admits. “Initially, I was in a lot of pain and very weak. Simple everyday things like walking and getting out of bed were a challenge. I found that taking things one day at a time was the best approach. Also, reminding myself that I was lucky to be alive and had so many memories yet to make with my sweet Roman really got me through.”

During her time at Texas Health Plano, Shannon’s blood in her body had to be replaced more than four times due to what was later diagnosed as a blood-clotting disorder known as disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC). The great news is that today both mom and baby are healthy and well into recovery. Grateful for the nourishment Roman received through the Texas Milk Bank while in the hospital, Shannon now donates her extra milk to the bank to support other families in need.

“Life is sometimes unexpected and doesn’t always go according to plan. I want to encourage other women to really invest in knowing where they will be delivering their baby and with whom. I was told several times that if it were not for the blood bank being on site and highly accessible, there very well may have been a different outcome. Who knew choosing Dr. Burt to be my OB and delivering at Texas Health Plano would become some of the most important decisions of my life. I’m eternally thankful for everyone who stepped in and provided life saving measures, aided in my healing, and assisted in caring for my baby while I was recovering. Because of them, Roman is able to grow up with his mother,” Shannon says.

Preparing for baby? Learn more about the delivery experience at Texas Health Plano.