It was April of 2014, and Amy Bucsis’ pregnancy was going according to plan. At least it was, until Amy’s doctor told her the baby needed to be delivered by C-section two and a half weeks ahead of her due date. Fortunately, Amy and her husband Russ had our world-class medical team in the Rawlco Centre for Mother Baby Care at Regina’s General Hospital (RGH) to count on.
“I went for a routine ultrasound on April 8,” says Amy. “They explained to me that my baby wasn’t moving much; she had stopped growing and she needed to be delivered ASAP. The next day, I was at RGH and Terra was born by C-section a short time later.”
Tiny Terra arrived in the world weighing a bit under 4.5 pounds. Amy and Russ spent a few moments with her, before she was whisked away, to begin the process of growing bigger and stronger under the care of the medical team at our Special Care Nursery, a part of our NICU for babies who are still premature but who need less critical care.
“Terra’s situation wasn’t necessarily a matter of life and death,” Amy acknowledges. “However, when it’s your first child, and she is so small and frail, it can be very scary. Fortunately, the medical staff was fantastic, taking the time to answer all our questions and calm our nerves. That helped a lot.”
Terra stayed in the Special Care Nursery for ten days, until her doctor decided she had grown strong enough to go home with her parents. Today, she’s healthy and strong, living the life of an average seven-year-old. She’s doing very well in school, and enjoys activities including gymnastics and swimming lessons. She also has a younger sister to dote over, which she does quite enthusiastically!
“Our family is just so grateful to have a facility like the Rawlco Centre for Mother Baby Care right here in our community,” Amy says. “I can’t even imagine how stressful it would have been to have to travel further away. We’re also thankful for all of the Hospitals of Regina Foundation donors. Their support gives our medical teams access to the best available technology and equipment, which is literally saving the lives of babies.”
“Stories like Terra’s remind us of the importance of investing in the priority needs for units like the Rawlco Centre for Mother Baby Care,” says Dino Sophocleous, president and CEO Hospitals of Regina Foundation. “We are committed to ensuring babies from southern Saskatchewan and their families have access to the best possible care, right here at home, when they need it the most.”