“Talk about getting a second chance,” explained Tina Saenz, 43, when she found out she was pregnant with her miracle baby.
Saenz had previously gone through fertility treatments to get pregnant with her now 15-year-old son. News of her pregnancy was a dream come true: “I never thought I would have kids again. Just being pregnant then was a miracle.”
Pregnancy after age 35 can increase risk for complications, and Tina’s pregnancy unfortunately was one of those. Prior to going into the emergency room at 32 weeks, she was having a hard time breathing but didn’t think about going to the hospital.
Saenz visited the emergency room at Lovelace Women’s Hospital on March 31, 2019 after one of many sleepless nights. Sanez was having extreme difficulty breathing. “I felt like I was drowning. I was really concerned for my baby and thought I was going to die,” explained Saenz.
Saenz was immediately taken back and evaluated. “Once they took us back, everyone was trying to make me comfortable. I remember looking at my boyfriend, Ahmed, and telling him I thought I wasn’t going to make it. I just couldn’t breathe.”
Saenz needed to be intubated as her heartrate dangerously increased and her blood pressure plummeted. A chest x-ray showed that both of her lungs were filled with fluid from top to bottom.
Tina was in preterm labor and had a condition called peripartum cardiomyopathy, a rare form of congestive heart failure that can occur during pregnancy or after birth.
“The heart becomes significantly weakened from pregnancy and hormonal changes in the body,” explained Dr. Brendan Cavanaugh, a cardiologist with New Mexico Heart Institute/Lovelace Medical Group. “It can be mild or serious, possibly leading to cardiogenic shock.”
Dr. Cavanaugh received the call while at church with his family. When he arrived at Lovelace Women’s Hospital, staff in the ICU were ready for an emergency C-section.
The last thing Saenz remembered was being carried upstairs at Lovelace Women’s Hospital.
At 1:09 PM, Tina welcomed a baby boy named Adam into the world. The premature newborn was blue and needed to be immediately intubated. Baby Adam was taken to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Lovelace Women’s Hospital.
Following the birth of her son, Tina went into cardiac arrest.
Dr. Cavanaugh and Dr. Jeffrey Dorf immediately resuscitated Tina and an ambulance was called to transport her to Heart Hospital of New Mexico at Lovelace Medical Center.
Dr. Cavanaugh rode with Saenz in the ambulance, keeping the 43-year-old alive.
After arriving at Heart Hospital, a pressure wire was inserted in Tina’s heart to allow Dr. Cavanaugh and his staff to understand how her heart was functioning. Her blood pressure gradually began to recover and her heart rate slowed. Saenz remained in the Cath Lab followed by the ICU.
“Delivering the baby actually saved her life,” explained Dr. Cavanaugh. “Other similar patients had to have a heart transplant. These patients can get so sick that their heart does not recover.”
Several days after the birth of her son, Saenz awoke at Heart Hospital with little recollection of the events that took place. All she knew was how badly she wanted to see her baby.
“I remember a lot of people coming in and out, and telling me they were so happy that I was alive. I kept pointing to my stomach and asking about the baby,” shared Saenz.
Staff at Heart Hospital reunited the mother with her son by Facetiming nurses at Lovelace Women’s so Saenz could see her son. “It meant the world to me,” expressed Saenz.
Lovelace employees of all departments were elated to hear Tina’s miraculous recovery.
“I can’t tell you the amount of staff who came to my room and told me how happy they were that I was alive,” said Saenz. “I had no idea who these people were and they were all so good to me. I have never received such amazing care than I did at Lovelace.”
“I remember one of the techs who transported me from Lovelace Women’s introduced himself and said how thankful he is to see me alive. He was one of so many people.”
Still, Saenz was desperate to see her baby and unsure when she would leave Heart Hospital. “I looked at the nurse that Wednesday night and apologized for crying. I told her I was thankful to be here today and if I have to wait one more day to see my baby, then it’s okay. At least I’m here today.”
The following day, Saenz was reunited with her newborn.
“I felt like I could breathe again,” shared Saenz. “I held him, put him on my skin and felt like I could finally breathe.”
Earlier that day, Saenz was able to meet with Dr. Cavanaugh before she was discharged.
“Dr. Cavanaugh came to see me the day I was leaving. I was sitting in the chair and he walked up and said he was so amazed. He told me the amount of people who were involved and that everyone worked together. He said, ‘I am so thankful for you to be here.’ I’ll never forget that conversation.”
Saenz is slowly piecing together her experiences at Lovelace Women’s and Heart Hospital.
“I am now finding out about the amount of support both hospitals gave to my boyfriend and family during that time. They cared and continue to care about our lives so much,” said Saenz. “I felt God’s love from every single person who helped me.”
Today, Tina’s heart is being closely monitored and she is taking heart medication. “They have done more testing and found out that only 10 percent of my heart is working. I’ve been instructed to rest and I need to take good care of myself,” said Saenz.
Saenz is thrilled to be pumping breast milk, although she cannot give baby Adam her milk yet due to the medication she is currently on.
“One of the nurses named Melanie at Heart Hospital was pumping for me when I wasn’t able to in the hospital. Thank God that she did. Usually people go through this trauma and can’t, and I am so thankful for her.”
Baby Adam is continuing to receive care in the Lovelace Women’s Hospital NICU.
“Adam is doing great,” explained Saenz. “I get to see him every day and can care for him during care time. All of the nurses in the NICU have been amazing. Even today, nurses ask to hug me because they are so happy I am alive.” Saenz is looking forward to bringing her son home, hopefully by the end of May.
Tina, her family and Lovelace staff will never forget the series of events that took place at Lovelace Women’s Hospital and Heart Hospital of New Mexico at Lovelace Medical Center. “I can’t say thank you enough to Lovelace. Because of you, I am here today,” expressed Saenz.
“Tina Saenz walked out of the hospital. It’s just incredible,” said Dr. Cavanaugh.” It could have gone in a much more dramatic direction. This was multiple teams- across two hospital teams- working together like a well-oiled machine.”
Lovelace Health System consists of Lovelace Medical Group, Lovelace Women’s Hospital, Lovelace Medical Center, Lovelace Westside Hospital, Lovelace Regional Hospital in Roswell and Lovelace UNM Rehabilitation Hospital. For more information, click here.