Vim & Vigor - Summer 2018 - Community Healthcare - 27

High-Risk
Pregnancies

Strength and Stamina

"There are definitely cases where younger moms have more energy," Garbus
says. But lots of factors can contribute to energy levels during pregnancy,
including morning sickness and the demands of work or other children.
McDonough says she had a lot of energy with her first pregnancy, in her
20s. "I was so excited, and I wasn't nauseous," she says.
But while carrying her second and third babies, she had the demands of
one young child, and then two, to contend with, and she was exhausted. Her
fourth pregnancy came so many years after the third that she could rest if she
needed to. "The kids were older, and they could fend for themselves," she says.

Life Experience

Most would agree that having a baby as a teenager isn't ideal, and the teen
birth rate has been declining for years. But for very young women who do
become pregnant, they face different risks than older moms-to-be. The
brain's prefrontal cortex isn't fully developed until the early 20s, and that
can affect reasoning in various ways.
"Younger moms can be less likely to keep their appointments," Garbus
says. They are also more likely to have multiple partners and less likely to
have the support of a long-standing relationship. ■

Expectant mothers facing high-risk
pregnancies often need specialized care.
Community Hospital and the University of
Chicago Medicine have partnered to bring
specialized maternal-fetal medicine to
Northwest Indiana, making it more convenient for families.
Maternal-fetal medicine physicians collaborate with multiple caregivers to consult
and co-manage complicated situations-
chronic conditions including high blood
pressure, diabetes or kidney disease-both
before, during and after pregnancy.
"It is a win-win situation to have a group
of subspecialists available to care for the
mother," says neonatologist Martin Kelly, MD,
clinical associate, Section of Neonatology,
the University of Chicago Medicine, and a
Community Healthcare Partner. "This means
someone is always nearby to evaluate these
patients, whether it is through the inpatient
setting at Community Hospital in Munster or
through the University of Chicago's outpatient clinic in Schererville."
All three Community Healthcare System
hospitals, including Community Hospital's
sister hospitals St. Mary Medical Center and
St. Catherine Hospital, work in partnership with one another and the University of
Chicago to provide a complete spectrum of
medical services necessary for mothers and
newborns. As part of that care, the neonatal
transport system was set in place to establish a means to transfer critically ill or premature newborns between hospitals. This
system helps ensure seamless care.

WEBSITE

Ready for Baby?
Community Hospital,
St. Catherine Hospital and
St. Mary Medical Center
support women during the
birthing experience. Learn
more at comhs.org/baby.

SUMME R 2018

http://www.comhs.org/baby

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Vim & Vigor - Summer 2018 - Community Healthcare