TMC Maternity: Quality care for mom and babies

Tucson Medical Center takes distinct pride in being the birthplace of so many Tucsonans. The staff also takes pride in doing it well, as shown by recognition from U.S. News & World Report and The Leapfrog Group, which affirmed that TMC has one of the best maternity centers in the country. Still, the most validating moments often come when people reach out to share their stories. We share one such letter we received from one of our patients:

My name is Erica Salas and I have been a TMCObstetrics patient since May 2022. I am not an individual who usually takes the time to write a letter to an organization, but I feel that this is an important story to tell. My family and I had been only in the Tucson area for the last couple years when we received the surprise of those two special lines appearing in the over-the-counter pregnancy test. A panic and butterflies set in my stomach because I was unfamiliar with where to receive care here in Tucson. I began to research which hospital was the best in the area and based on U.S. News & World Report, Tucson Medical Center was a top listed hospital. I was nervous because I was not familiar with the TMC system, but I took a chance because everything that I had researched pointed to TMC providing the best care for my baby and me.

As I expected, the TMCObstetrics staff provided quality customer service; all the providers with whom I met were up to speed on my medical history, which had become more complicated since my last pregnancy. When I finally moved into the third trimester, I could see the finish line. On Dec. 1, I had three appointments. The first was for an ultrasound to check on the baby’s growth. Prior to this time, I already had my induction date set for Dec. 15, so I wasn’t expecting anything to happen at this appointment. When the ultrasound technician stopped chatting about the baby, I knew something was off.

The tech went to get the doctor to double check the findings. When the doctor came in, she said, “It’s go time.” I became a bit emotional because I wasn’t planning or ready to have the baby right then. I was sent straight to Labor and Delivery to begin the process of induction. We tried two types of medications with no luck. I knew that we were exhausting options before a C-section was mentioned. After several days in the hospital waiting on the baby, finally, I was able to hold my baby girl on Dec. 4, 2022, at 1:59 a.m. Her name is Philomena Aurora.

I wasn’t, but they couldn’t explain why I was so weak. My recollection of this time is very vague, relying on what my husband told me and what I read in my medical charts. I went into surgery to make sure no tissue remained in my uterus and that the bleeding had stopped. The surgery was deemed a success. I was wheeled back into my room; I wasn’t fully awake and was in and out. When I opened my eyes briefly from surgery, I could see the room full of people. I knew my husband was at the foot of the bed, the anesthesiologist on my left side, nurses on my right and at the foot of the bed, and then I heard more physicians in the room trying to figure out what had happened with me.

Even though I wasn’t scared of what was happening to me, I was concerned about my three babies. I woke up at 2 p.m. in intensive care on a ventilator with my parents and husband in my room. I asked where the baby was and who had the baby. I also felt cheated because I had a vague recollection of what had happened in the last 12 hours. Due to the complications of a lacerated cervix, I ended up needing a total hysterectomy, my fallopian tubes removed and a transfusion of eight units of blood.

What I recall most was the kindness and compassion your staff provided my family and me: the L&D nurses who stayed past their shift had ended; all those who watched over Philomena and helped my family while I was in the ICU; and the volunteer who visited me in the ICU, helping me fill in the lost time. Plus, I’m feeling reassured that I was in the best place for all this to happen. Although traumatic, it could have turned out a lot worse. The physical part of healing is almost complete. The emotional part has taken a bit longer, but I know that TMC saved my life and for that I am forever grateful.

Thank you for letting me continue to be a Mom for my three babies, a wife, and to continue to be a part of my family.

Respectfully,

Erica Salas

I was able to have some skin-on-skin contact and Philomena began to nurse, when I had to call my husband to get the baby because I wasn’t feeling well. I began to feel weak. The nurse checked if I was hemorrhaging.