This post is sponsored by HCA HealthONE.
I knew my pregnancy with my third child wouldn’t be typical straight off the bat. My previous pregnancy, with my twins, ended in a complicated C-section with a severe postpartum hemorrhage, preeclampsia and even sepsis. This time was going to be even tougher because I had developed an incisional hernia – a weak spot in the belly wall where I had past surgery – that kept getting worse. Eventually the hernia got so large that I was tucking my intestines back inside and holding them in place with binders.
When I hit the 28-week mark, I picked up a cold, and the cough caused my uterus to herniate – it moved partially outside my abdominal cavity through the existing hernia. I was in pain for days and did not understand how serious it was until I saw the maternal-fetal medicine specialist, a doctor who has additional training in high-risk pregnancy. Maternal-Fetal Specialist Dr. Amy Adelberg felt my abdomen and said, ‘That’s your uterus.’
I was grateful to be under the care of the HCA HealthONE Rose high-risk pregnancy team when things escalated. They had affectionately dubbed the pregnancy “Project Conrad” after the Patron Saint of Hernias – a bit of levity in a stressful and uncertain time. Alongside Dr. Adelberg, my care team also included HCA HealthONE OB/GYNs Dr. Stephanie Owens and Dr. Kara Alexandrovic, who also helped manage my pregnancy, providing ongoing expertise and continuity of care.
Once the severity of my condition was recognized, a fully integrated care team was assembled. The team included OB/GYNs, surgeons, anesthesiologists, a high-risk pregnancy navigator, and nurses who specialize in high-risk pregnancy care. Everyone came together with one goal: safe labor and delivery for me and the arrival of a healthy baby. Rachel, my high-risk pregnancy nurse navigator, took everyone’s notes and organized my care plan. She chased answers to all my questions and concerns, so I did not have to.
By 36 weeks, it became clear that surgical delivery could no longer wait. At this point my entire uterus, along with part of the baby, had shifted into the hernia. The care team quickly mobilized. I had a C-section and a complex hernia repair. I was previously told they would not be able to repair the hernia during the C-section because of the size, but the team was able to perform both – and they did better than expected. They even saved my uterus. I was prepared to lose it, but after they delivered Theodore, it shrunk back to normal size.
Theodore was born healthy at 36 weeks, weighing just under six pounds. He stayed in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at HCA HealthONE Rocky Mountain Children’s for a short while to bring his temperature regulation under control. Now, he is home and thriving.
My own recovery also exceeded my expectations. With my twins, I was in the hospital for ten days. This time, I was up and walking the same evening after surgery, and I only needed over-the-counter pain relief. I’m still on some restrictions as my body adjusts to the repair and may need another procedure down the road, but I’m incredibly grateful for my care team. They were able to get me back home to my family much sooner than I ever expected. I was discharged in just four days, and I continue to follow up with my surgical team.
Planning for this pregnancy also had personal meaning. My husband was also born at HCA HealthONE Rose and hoped our children would be born at the same hospital. Our twins, Tommy and Tony, were born there in 2022, and now Theodore.
I am so grateful to the high‑risk pregnancy team at HCA HealthONE Rose – there at exactly the right time – for carrying our son and me through a complicated birth and recovery in the same hospital where my husband and our two older children were born.
Desiree Cordova is a mom of three boys and lives in Denver, Colorado
High-risk Pregnancy Care in Denver
HCA HealthONE offers experienced and compassionate high-risk pregnancy care. Our maternal-fetal health specialists will collaborate with your OB/GYN to provide coordinated care from preconception to labor and delivery. The high-risk pregnancy care we offer includes:
- Maternal-Fetal Medicine doctors to manage high-risk pregnancy conditions
- Prenatal genetic counseling
- High-risk pregnancy navigators to offer coordinated care
- Antepartum unit for moms-to-be who need to be hospitalized
- NICU care for extra support after birth
