Meet the Mathenys

In 2012, my wife Jamie Matheny was diagnosed with preeclampsia while 32 weeks pregnant with our first child. Her blood pressure started to rise, her ankles swelled, and she released a significant amount of protein in her urine. Once this was known, she was transported via ambulance from Calvert Memorial Hospital to John Hopkins Bayview. She was medicated for two days. Then on December 13, 2012, Kylie Marie Matheny was born weighing 2lbs. 14oz. She was in the NICU for 33 days with only one significant episode. One morning, we had to authorize a spinal tap at 3am because Kylie wasn’t doing well. It was an extremely stressful and trying time for us. We lived two hours away and had to work out the logistics of getting breast milk to the NICU. Friends housed us some nights. The Hopkins Children’s House accommodated us others.  

Kylie turns two on Saturday, and she is doing great. We enrolled her in the infants and toddler program when she came home. She’s exceeded expectations in all assessment areas. We always wanted two children but were uncertain of the risk due to Jamie’s preeclampsia. Various physicians had different opinions. One said the risk was 10-20%, and we decided to give it another try. After Jamie got pregnant, a high risk doctor stated the probability of her preeclampsia returning was around 60%.

Jamie started showing signs of preeclampsia again. She had high blood pressure, slightly elevated signs of protein in her urine, no swelling. She was put on bed rest, a special diet and was closely monitored. A checkup yielded that Jamie’s biophysical and cord doppler were abnormal, and the baby was not moving. Jamie’s OB determined immediately that the baby had to be delivered via emergency cesarean as the baby was in fetal distress. Once we arrived at Hopkins Bayview, Jamie was immediately rushed to the Operating Room. There, she developed eclampsia as her blood pressure levels spiked to 220/110. I was in the OR with her. Gavin was delivered, and Jamie’s blood pressure levels dropped immediately. She had a seizure, which lasted roughly 40 seconds while she was still being operated on. She eventually stabilized and the operation completed. She was monitored in the ICU that evening. Gavin had a hard time breathing on his own. He too had blood pressure and malnourishment issues. He was taken to the NICU, intubated and stabilized. Ironically, Gavin Michael Matheny was born on November 17, 2014 -- World Prematurity Day ☺. He weighed 1lb. 15oz. His gestational age was 26w2d +/- 1w6d.

Gavin is doing great now at Hopkins Bayview! He started feedings and just got off of antibiotics. He lost an ounce but just gained one back. He’s a fighter and makes us very proud. I’m extremely proud of my beautiful wife who stayed very strong throughout this process. She thinks that she’s somehow to blame, and I reassure her daily that is not the case. I thought I was going to lose her and my son, all at the same time, there in that operating room. The feeling is very weird the second time around. You know what to do or how to react but you still don’t know what to expect. You live day to day, and you’re thankful for every moment within that day.  

Not much is known about preeclampsia and/or eclampsia and why it occurs. Jamie’s symptoms were different the first time versus the second, which caused a different response to the condition. Her condition was worse the second time. We’re left with a lot of questions. Is the condition genetic? Environmental? This is a prime example of the importance of the March of Dimes Prematurity Research Centers, where researchers are working tirelessly to uncover the causes of premature birth.

Twitter chat on losing a baby

Tiffany Bowen, wife of Stephen Bowen of the Washington Redskins, went into labor at 24 weeks. She was expecting twins, not an emergency c-section. Two tiny babies were born and struggled for weeks. One of their boys survived, Skyler did not.

 
Join us @modhealthtalk for a chat about losing a premature baby on Monday, Nov. 18 at 8 PM ET. Tiffany Bowen, @Skylersgift, will be our guest. Come listen to her story and share your own. Find out how Tiffany and Stephen have used their experience to help others through Skyler’s Gift Foundation. Share your experience. Be sure to use #losschat so others can see your story.

Meet the March of Dimes 2013 National Ambassador Family

Chris and Vince Centofanti thought they knew all about preterm birth. She was a neonatal nurse-practitioner caring for critically ill babies, and he worked for GE Healthcare’s maternal-infant care division, providing specialized medical equipment to hospitals. But then their own baby, Nina, was born nine weeks early, weighing less than three pounds. She suffered from respiratory distress and spent her first five weeks fighting for her life in a newborn intensive care unit (NICU).

While pregnant with Nina, Chris felt unwell at 31 weeks and went to the hospital. She was diagnosed with HELLP Syndrome, a form of high blood pressure with elevated liver enzymes and a low blood platelet count. It is a rare, but potentially life-threatening illness that typically occurs late in pregnancy. The only treatment is to deliver the baby as soon as possible. For the next 48 hours, Chris was treated with steroids to help develop baby Nina’s lungs before birth. At birth, Nina was immediately transferred to the NICU.

Today, Nina Centofanti has grown into an active 7-year-old who loves to dance, climb trees and turn handsprings. She has been named the March of Dimes 2013 National Ambassador. As ambassador, Nina and her family will travel the United States visiting public officials and corporate sponsors and encouraging people to participate in the March of Dimes’ largest fundraiser, March for Babies. Yesterday, she and her parents were interviewed on Fox & Friends where they shared their story and support of March of Dimes programs that help moms have healthy, full term pregnancies.


In addition to Nina, the Centofantis have an older son Nick, and a second daughter, Mia, who was born at 35 weeks of pregnancy, thanks in part to weekly progesterone treatments which reduced the risk of premature labor. “Even though things didn’t go as planned, we’ve been blessed with three healthy children, thanks in large part to the work of the March of Dimes. Just a few years ago, the outcome might be been very different,” says Chris. She adds, “Thanks to the care that Nina received, and the support of the March of Dimes for research and treatment, now we also know the relief and joy parents feel when their child survives and becomes healthy enough to leave the NICU and go home.”