An Early Delivery of Twins Doubles Family’s Hope
While pregnant with fraternal twins, Lori Santelli and her husband, JT, faced the unexpected. Early in the pregnancy after having a glucose test done, Lori was diagnosed with gestational diabetes and later with high blood pressure and preeclampsia, the leading cause of premature delivery and maternal and fetal illness and death worldwide. She and her husband were imminently concerned about the health of their unborn children.
 On April 2, 2008, Lori went to her regularly scheduled weekly ob-gyn appointment. As usual, she was to undergo a stress test. Since her blood pressure continued to be high, Lori’s ob-gyn, Dr. Elizabeth Hazel, transferred her to Magee-Womens Hospital of UPMC.
To the right: The Santelli twins, Elizabeth and Joseph, enjoy a healthy life after being delivered prematurely at just 34 weeks gestation.
She underwent a stress test at Magee and it was decided she be put on hospital bed rest with hope that her blood pressure would come down. Both Lori and JT were very concerned about her health and the health of their unborn children. If Lori had to deliver early, would the babies’ lungs be developed enough? So many things raced through their minds as so much can go wrong with a single premature infant, let alone twins. After five days, her high blood pressure didn’t cease. Since Lori suffered from preeclampsia, Dr. Hazel decided that a C-section would be best to ensure the successful delivery of the twins – the only “cure” for preeclampsia.
Unfortunately, the babies were at 34 weeks gestation and were delivered prematurely. On April 7, the Santellis welcomed Joseph Robert and Elizabeth Anne weighing 4.5 and 4.8 pounds, respectively. They were immediately whisked away to Magee’s neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Off and on for two weeks, Joseph and Elizabeth were kept in incubators. They had mild jaundice and were kept on monitors to detect any apnea or bradycardia.
“It was hard to leave the hospital without them. I stayed very late, and of course, cried,” says Lori. “The doctors and nurses were very informative when we had questions on how the babies were doing.” Thankfully, Lori could call at anytime of the night just to make sure her babies were doing fine. Joseph and Elizabeth persevered despite their early entrance into the world.
Today, the twins are thriving. They have not experienced any developmental delays and are as healthy as can be. “Everyone at the hospital was wonderful. From the nurses and doctors taking care of me to everyone that helped my husband and I while our little ones were in the NICU, we are so grateful for the care our babies received,” says Lori.
An interesting note is that Lori won the Lladró piece, “Lucky Frog”, during a raffle hosted by her employer Marsh. Ironically enough, proceeds from the raffle benefited Magee’s NICU. “It is actually pretty appropriate that I won,” says Lori.
According to Lori, the “Lucky Frog” piece will be a constant reminder of the great care that Joseph and Elizabeth received while in Magee’s NICU.
OPPORTUNITIES FOR GIVING: Neonatal Intensive Care
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