January 2026
Jennifer
Smith
,
CNM
673 MDG
JBER Hospital
Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson
,
AK
United States
Because Lt. Col. Smith caught the issue and investigated further, I spent a week in the hospital on various medications to help him. They were able to reverse the heart failure and hydrops, and my son was born completely healthy.
Lt. Col. Smith absolutely saved my son’s life and deserves to be recognized.
I had seen Lt. Col. Smith during my previous pregnancy and was adamant about seeing her again, as she is excellent at her job.
I went in for a routine OB appointment, and when it was time to listen to my baby’s heartbeat, it sounded strange. Lt. Col. Smith listened for a long time. She mentioned that she wasn't sure if he was moving a lot or if the machine was creating an echo, but his heart sounded very fast.
She wanted to perform a longer exam, so she coordinated with the clinic staff to get me in for a nonstress test immediately. On the monitor, his heart was beating at 140 bpm, and he was moving normally, so I didn't think anything of it.
However, when Lt. Col. Smith returned, she looked at the monitor and said that what she was seeing didn't match what she was hearing. Wanting to be certain we were both okay, she went to get an ultrasound machine. She measured my son's heartbeat, and it was 284!
Remaining calm and reassuring, she explained everything as it happened. She told me his heartbeat was twice as fast as it should be and immediately called the Maternal-Fetal Medicine (MFM) specialist while sitting right next to me.
She arranged for me to go to the MFM's office in an hour for a more detailed ultrasound of his heart and then personally walked me to Labor and Delivery for further monitoring. Although I was very worried, I wasn’t panicked because she was so reassuring and explained everything clearly.
At the MFM’s office, his heartbeat was normal at first, but the detailed images revealed he had hydrops and heart failure caused by his heart beating far too fast intermittently.
I was instantly admitted to Providence Hospital. The MFM explained that this heart issue had likely been happening for some time, given how incredibly sick he was. He said that if it had continued for even one or two more days, I would have delivered a stillborn baby.
Because Lt. Col. Smith caught the issue and investigated further, I spent a week in the hospital on various medications to help him. They were able to reverse the heart failure and hydrops, and my son was born completely healthy.
She even called to check on us every few days to see how we were doing and if I needed anything. I just sent her a picture of my son at six months, taken right after his cardiologist told us he was completely normal and required no more follow-ups.
He is a healthy, normal baby, and every time I hold him, I am so grateful for Lt. Col. Smith, JBER Hospital, and the MFM team, who all saved his life.
I had seen Lt. Col. Smith during my previous pregnancy and was adamant about seeing her again, as she is excellent at her job.
I went in for a routine OB appointment, and when it was time to listen to my baby’s heartbeat, it sounded strange. Lt. Col. Smith listened for a long time. She mentioned that she wasn't sure if he was moving a lot or if the machine was creating an echo, but his heart sounded very fast.
She wanted to perform a longer exam, so she coordinated with the clinic staff to get me in for a nonstress test immediately. On the monitor, his heart was beating at 140 bpm, and he was moving normally, so I didn't think anything of it.
However, when Lt. Col. Smith returned, she looked at the monitor and said that what she was seeing didn't match what she was hearing. Wanting to be certain we were both okay, she went to get an ultrasound machine. She measured my son's heartbeat, and it was 284!
Remaining calm and reassuring, she explained everything as it happened. She told me his heartbeat was twice as fast as it should be and immediately called the Maternal-Fetal Medicine (MFM) specialist while sitting right next to me.
She arranged for me to go to the MFM's office in an hour for a more detailed ultrasound of his heart and then personally walked me to Labor and Delivery for further monitoring. Although I was very worried, I wasn’t panicked because she was so reassuring and explained everything clearly.
At the MFM’s office, his heartbeat was normal at first, but the detailed images revealed he had hydrops and heart failure caused by his heart beating far too fast intermittently.
I was instantly admitted to Providence Hospital. The MFM explained that this heart issue had likely been happening for some time, given how incredibly sick he was. He said that if it had continued for even one or two more days, I would have delivered a stillborn baby.
Because Lt. Col. Smith caught the issue and investigated further, I spent a week in the hospital on various medications to help him. They were able to reverse the heart failure and hydrops, and my son was born completely healthy.
She even called to check on us every few days to see how we were doing and if I needed anything. I just sent her a picture of my son at six months, taken right after his cardiologist told us he was completely normal and required no more follow-ups.
He is a healthy, normal baby, and every time I hold him, I am so grateful for Lt. Col. Smith, JBER Hospital, and the MFM team, who all saved his life.