Old Friends Lean On One Another Through High-Risk Pregnancies

Lindsey and Jayme can’t remember a time when they didn’t know each other. Their mothers met while working at a department store, and throughout Lindsey and Jayme’s lifelong friendship, there was always something connecting them.

That bond strengthened when Jayme and Lindsey found out they were both going to be first-time moms within weeks of one another—and their friendship provided invaluable support when they were both being treated for conditions related to their high-risk pregnancies at Barnes-Jewish Hospital.  

An unplanned meetup

For much of her pregnancy, Jayme, 35, remembers dealing with headaches, dizziness, and discomfort. Her condition worsened early in her third trimester when she began leaking amniotic fluid. She checked herself in to see her OB-GYN team at Alton Memorial Hospital, where she also happens to be a nurse.  

Specialists diagnosed Jayme with preterm premature rupture of membranes (PPROM), a rare condition in which the amniotic sac, which surrounds the developing baby, breaks before the 37th week of pregnancy. If untreated, PPROM can lead to premature birth or an infection in the uterus.  

“I thought I was about to go into labor at 32 weeks,” Jayme says. “I was freaked out and feeling all of the emotions.”

With the increased risk to her pregnancy, Jayme’s Alton Memorial care team acted quickly, transferring her to Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis, where she was admitted for close monitoring. At Barnes-Jewish, nationally recognized WashU Medicine maternal-fetal medicine specialists combine leading research, specialized expertise, and personalized treatment plans to offer the region's highest level of advanced care for high-risk pregnancies.  

The goal was to keep Jayme and her baby healthy while safely extending the pregnancy to 35 weeks, giving the baby more time to grow and develop. If early delivery became necessary, the baby could be transferred to the Level IV newborn intensive care unit (NICU) at St. Louis Children's Hospital, which is at the same location as Barnes-Jewish, giving her baby access to the highest level of newborn care and Jayme the chance to be able to easily visit her child. When her care needs changed, Jayme was quickly connected to specialized WashU Medicine maternal and fetal experts within BJC HealthCare, ensuring a smooth transition and allowing her to focus on her health and her baby.

Antonina I. Frolova, MD, PhD, a WashU Medicine maternal-fetal medicine specialist who treated Jayme, says the collaboration among WashU Medicine specialists at Barnes-Jewish and St. Louis Children's—along with the hospitals being physically connected—allows experts to work as one team, in a single connected destination for care.

“Our team specializes in caring for the most complex maternal and fetal conditions, but one of the greatest advantages for families is the close proximity of the childbirth center and the St. Louis Children's NICU so moms and babies can be closer together,” Dr. Frolova says. “Families can tour the NICU, meet with the neonatologist before they deliver, and get a comprehensive look at what their care will look like before and after delivery.”  

As Jayme settled into her hospital room, she stayed in touch with Lindsey, whose pregnancy was also considered high-risk. Lindsey, 34, was having monochorionic-diamniotic (mono-di) twins, meaning the babies share a placenta but have their own amniotic sacs. Mono-di pregnancies account for about 20% of twin pregnancies, but possible risks include preeclampsia and a difference in growth between the babies.  

WashU Medicine maternal-fetal medicine specialists provided outpatient care for Lindsey and her twins from the start. As her pregnancy progressed, Lindsey’s high blood pressure caused headaches, impaired vision, and discomfort, leading to repeated trips to the Women & Infants Center at Barnes-Jewish for observation.  

In Lindsey’s 31st week of pregnancy, her blood pressure became too high, and she was admitted to Barnes-Jewish to manage her care for the rest of her pregnancy.  

And to the surprise of both, Jayme and Lindsey’s rooms were right down the hall from one another.

“Neither of us wanted to see the other one there,” Lindsey says. “But it was nice to have that person who understood what you were going through.”  

In it together

When  Amanda Zofkie, MD, a WashU Medicine maternal-fetal medicine specialist, walked into Lindsey’s room to welcome her, she found out that someone had beat her to it.  

“I walked in, and Jayme and her husband were there,” says Dr. Zofkie. “I was wondering if she was on the welcoming committee, and she said, ‘Oh, we’re long-term friends. We’ve known each other for years.’”

With both Lindsey and Jayme now at Barnes-Jewish, their individual support systems gelled into one. When Lindsey’s parents or her husband, Andrew, stopped in to visit, they’d pop in to see Jayme as well, and Jayme’s husband, Dan, would do the same.  

More importantly, the women were there for each other. Their care teams encouraged them to move around as much as possible, so Jayme and Lindsey would go on walks together, eat snacks in Lindsey’s room, and grab cups of coffee. They even toured the NICU together. And when Jayme expressed regret about not doing a maternity photo shoot, Lindsey arranged a joint session for the two of them at the hospital.

“Lindsey said, ‘I’ll have Andrew take your pictures. We’re getting dressed up, and we’re taking pictures up in the garden,’” says Jayme.

The impromptu photo session at the Barnes-Jewish garden was a much-needed distraction for both soon-to-be moms. Even Andrew and Jayme’s husband, Dan, got a fun photo of the two of them bumping their bellies. The walks, the chats, the photos, even texting each other from just down the hall, helped take Jayme and Lindsey’s minds off the uncertainty surrounding their pregnancies.  

Having each other’s back

One morning, Lindsey’s mom called her with some news. Just a few days shy of her 35th week, Jayme’s team decided to induce her due to signs of fetal distress. Lindsey went straight to Jayme’s room once she heard.  

“I was on the phone crying and talking to my mom about it, and not even 10 minutes later, Lindsey comes into my room saying, ‘What do we have to do? Let’s get you ready,’” Jayme says. “She helped me pack for the delivery suite and told me everything was going to be OK.”

Lindsey helped her friend gather her things and prepare to move to the suite. A few hours later, Jayme delivered her son, Landon. Soon after, Landon was transferred to the St. Louis Children’s NICU, where he spent nearly a month receiving breathing and feeding support. While Jayme recovered in her hospital room, she was able to walk to visit Landon in the NICU. After she was discharged, she and Dan made daily trips to see him and check on Lindsey.  

Lindsey delivered her daughters, Iris and Luna, at 34 weeks, two weeks after Jayme delivered Landon. After they were born, the twins were transferred to the St. Louis Children’s NICU, where they received care just a few pods down from Landon’s bed.

Lindsey stayed an extra six days in the hospital to stabilize her blood pressure. As the fog from her delivery faded and she crossed the walkway to visit her daughters, she learned that Jayme had been checking in on Iris and Luna, with permission from the NICU nurses, while visiting Landon.  

“One of the NICU nurses said Jayme had just been there looking in on the girls,” Lindsey says. “It was nice knowing that.”

Jayme, Lindsey, and their families continued to support one another with kind words, rides to and from the hospital, and whatever else they needed. Iris and Luna went home at 43 and 52 days, respectively.  

With all three babies healthy and at home, Jayme and Lindsey now get to watch their lifelong friendship continue through the next generation.

“As scary as it was at first, having Jayme there was huge,” Lindsey says. “It was great having someone I could talk to who understood what was going on, especially someone I’ve known most of my life.”

Their experiences also gave both Jayme and Lindsey—who works at the WashU Medicine Clinical Research Training Center—a new appreciation for the care provided by their employers.

“This is more than just a job to the doctors and nurses; they genuinely care,” Lindsey says. “It takes a special kind of person to work in that setting, and I’m forever thankful to everyone who cared for me and the babies throughout this journey. They truly make a difference in the lives of their patients.”

Maternal-fetal medicine specialists are obstetrician-gynecologists who have specialized training in diagnosing and treating pregnancy complications and fetal conditions. At BJC HealthCare and WashU Medicine, our team of experts care for more than 1,000 women with high-risk pregnancies each year. Learn more about high-risk pregnancies.