IN THE RIGHT PLACE, AT THE RIGHT TIME.

Kaitlyn and Stewart Skloss were excited about the prospect of giving their only child, Ella, a younger sibling. After all, they always wanted a house full of kids and are hoping for as many as five, so learning Kaitlyn was pregnant was welcome news.

When she was 28 weeks along, Kaitlyn had an anatomy scan, and that’s when it was detected that Mae was a little small – she was experiencing what doctors refer to as “restrictive fetal growth.” At this moment, Kaitlyn’s obstetrician referred her to maternal-fetal medicine specialist Dr. James Hill at The Children’s Hospital of San Antonio.

Both Kaitlyn and Stewart instantly liked Dr. Hill and knew they were in good hands.

“I loved his personality. He’s super smart and direct, but also makes you feel at ease and comfortable. I knew we could trust him, and I thought he provided excellent recommendations,” said Kaitlyn.

At this point of the journey, there was not much Kaitlyn could do differently. Other than being small, Mae was perfect. Dr. Hill and his team wanted to keep close track of Mae’s growth so Kaitlyn went in weekly for anatomy scans. The scans revealed she was growing and doing just fine until Kaitlyn was 36 weeks along.

During one of her appointments, Kaitlyn’s umbilical Doppler reading was elevated. A Doppler reading is used in the third trimester of pregnancy to detect the well-being of the fetus. When such a reading is high, it could be a sign that a baby is in distress. Dr. Hill was brought in for a consult, and he decided that Kaitlyn would deliver Mae at 37 weeks.

Kaitlyn was all set for a delivery day of August 10. But during her appointment the day before, another umbilical Doppler reading showed it had jumped to 99%, which was concerning to Dr. Hill. Kaitlyn’s team decided August 9 would be Mae’s birthday.

The C-section delivery was uneventful, and at that time, everyone thought Mae was doing just fine. Shortly after birth, Mae was having issues breathing, and her heartbeat was not where it should be. 

“The next thing we knew, Mae was being rushed to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU),” Stewart, Mae’s father, recalls. “Things went from bad to worse – to the point of them telling us she was one of the sickest babies under their care. Her lungs had not fully developed, and it was terrifying.”

During the next 48 hours, Mae, who they began calling “Mighty Mae” after being nicknamed by her godmother, would have to be intubated and put on a ventilator with a feeding tube to survive.

Within 72 hours of placement of the feeding tube and umbilical catheters, Mighty Mae was on the road to recovery.

Kaitlyn and Stewart were so grateful to the team for saving Mae’s life and acting so quickly. They were so thankful that they brought food in three times a day for more than 70 care team members during their 12-day journey in the NICU and kept the meals coming even after they left.

“The doctors and nurses were just phenomenal. It felt like a little family. I was hysterical during the first few days of Mae’s life and I was amazed at how supportive and loving the NICU family treated me. We wanted to do something to show our thanks for all they did to help Mae,” said Kaitlyn. “Drs. Maria Pierce, Sowmya Mohan, and Cody Henderson, and all the nurses and staff were absolutely incredible. Even Dr. Hsu, who delivered Mae, checked in on her in the NICU every day.”

Kaitlyn knew how important it was to deliver at a facility with a NICU just in case something happened but did not ever think she would actually need to use it. Kaitlyn and Stewart now believe without a doubt that the recommendation to go to The Children’s Hospital of San Antonio saved Mae’s life.

“We hope to have another baby in the next three years, and even if I have an uncomplicated pregnancy, I’m going to deliver at The Children’s Hospital. I know how important it is to have a plan in case something goes wrong like in Mae’s case,” said Kaitlyn.

Today, Baby Mae as they now call her, is at home. Weighing just over 10 lbs., she continues to gain more weight and Ella is enjoying her role as big sister.

While they are still not sure exactly what caused their daughter to go into distress after she was born, there is one thing they know for sure: they were in the right place at the right time.

“Everyone was fantastic, and we feel incredibly blessed that our paths intersected the doctors, nurses and management who took such great care of us,” said Stewart.

To learn more about how you can make a difference for our tiniest patients, visit childrenshospitalsafoundation.org.