When Erica Wahnon and her husband, Joe DiMeo, of White Oak found out they were expecting their first baby in September 2005, Erica was immediately cautious. Her own mother had given birth to her sister almost four months premature.
At about 11 weeks into the pregnancy, Erica thought her worst fears were being realized when she was rushed to the emergency room at Magee-Womens Hospital after showing signs of miscarriage.
"While in the waiting room, and even when I was put into a hospital bed, I could only remember how this baby already meant the world to me," Erica remembers. "But knowing that not only my care, but the care of my unborn child was in the hands of Magee, I had a feeling that things would be alright."
AT RIGHT: Erica Wahnon and Joe DiMeo show off newborn Dylan.
She was admitted to the hospital several times throughout the pregnancy for more bleeding, decreased fetal movement, and even dehydration. On May 31, 2006 — the day Erica thought might never come — she was induced and gave birth to Dylan at 9:01 p.m. He weighed in at a healthy 6 pounds, 12 ounces, but the telltale grunting noises he was making indicated that he had amniotic fluid in his lungs.
Dylan spent three days in Magee's Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). "I didn't get to have my son in my room as most of the new mothers on my floor did," Erica says. "But I was able to rest easy knowing my son was in Magee's NICU."
Throughout that first night, Erica called the NICU several times to check on Dylan. "Every time, I was greeted by a friendly person on the phone who made me feel that my check-ins were not bothersome in any way."
Erica finally saw Dylan the following morning. The nurses reported that he'd been given a chest x-ray and multiple tests to rule out infection or pneumonia. Upon entering the nursery, Erica and Joe again were given a thorough update — what further testing would be done, what times he had eaten, how much he'd eaten, when he woke up. "They were amazing," Erica says.
"Then I was allowed to hold my son — my world — for the first time. The nurse showed me the best way to hold him, and she even showed us how to feed him. The staff in the NICU were incredible. To a new mother and father who were overly concerned, they never once made us feel that we were a pain."
Erica was so inspired by her experience, that she wanted to work for Magee and now works in the hospital's Center for Medical Genetics. As Dylan prepares to celebrate his first birthday, Erica continues to sing Magee's praises, even convincing several women she knows to transfer to Magee for their prenatal care.
"Every time I walk by the NICU, it warms my heart to see families in there, hoping that they have the same feelings, and hoping that they know their little ones are in the best hands they possibly can be."
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