Forever Grateful

Dr. Taggart with Ava

When I became pregnant again in 2007, there was a lot of emotion: excitement and fear. Having lost two babies in the first trimester prior to this pregnancy, I faced this pregnancy with a lot of trepidation. I was scared but I knew I was in excellent hands. Dr. Heather Taggart is my OBGYN and I felt confident in her plan for me and my baby. After my second miscarriage, Dr. Taggart became my advocate to the insurance company and pushed for genetic testing. Normally, insurance companies don’t want to pay for genetic testing until there has been three or more miscarriages. Dr. Taggart did not want to see me go through another tough loss and she wrote letters to the insurance company and they approved the testing. The testing showed that I had a blood clotting disorder, called MTHFR. Dr. Taggart’s nurse Diane called me to tell me what the test had found and that I would be on a medicinal course for the rest of my life. However, pregnancy was still possible with these medications.

After a few months on the medications, we conceived. This is where the fear set in, not wanting to experience again the losses we had in the past. The weeks ticked by and I was soon into my 2nd trimester. Those weeks were especially hard as we had ultrasounds to check the baby’s progress. In the 2nd trimester, I went to visit Dr. Alfred Fleming of Maternal Fetal Specialists at Bergan. Dr. Fleming even shared that he too had the genetic condition MTHFR. It made me feel a little more normal to know I wasn’t alone, even though I was the one pregnant. We soon discovered we were having a baby girl to add to our family. We already had one little girl, whom Dr. Fleming said was a true miracle because most people with MTHFR do not have successful pregnancies without medication to thin the blood. I continued to see Dr. Fleming and Dr. Taggart throughout my pregnancy and they and their nursing staff put me at ease.

On an icy morning in December, the day for my induction finally came. I was again met with the fear that something might go wrong. I was not going to feel better until my baby girl was in my arms. When I arrived at Midlands Hospital on the Family Birth Unit, I was met by a wonderful nurse, Michelle, who took care of me during my induction and labor. Colleen, the operations director of the unit was right there too to ease my fears. She was my baby’s nurse and knowing Colleen like I do; I was at ease knowing my baby was in the best hands. Only when my baby girl was laid in my arms did I finally relax for the first time in almost a year. She was here and she was beautiful.

I can never fully express how much the care of all the people involved in that pregnancy meant to me. From Dr. Taggart and Dr. Fleming, Dr. Taggart’s nurse, Diane, all the wonderful nurses at Midlands Family Birth, I am so grateful for them and the care that they gave. Today, my daughter Ava is two years old. She is full of joy and laughter. She and her older sister make my heart melt every time I hear, I love you sissy. I say it often to people when I talk about Dr. Taggart, if it weren’t for her, I don’t think I would have my little girl here today and for that I will be forever grateful. Born in December 2007, she is the best gift I will ever receive for Christmas.

-Leigh Ann