Kris Arceo
December 2023
Kris
Arceo
,
BSN, RN
Labor & Delivery
Baylor University Medical Center
Dallas
,
TX
United States
It is my belief that Kris’s sense of urgency saved our son’s life and the trajectory of his health. She took swift action and called everyone necessary.
We will never forget the day that our beautiful son was born. However, our lives were also catapulted into 13 days of uncertainty and heartache. Unbeknownst to us, our son had a very rare pregnancy complication (velamentous cord insertion), leading to a very traumatic birth.
Upon arrival, Kris greeted us with a very warm smile and told us I needed to be hooked up to the fetal heartbeat monitor for at least 20 minutes before she could unhook me. She started taking my demographic information and had just got me hooked up when my water initially ruptured. During the next contraction, we lost our son’s heart rate, and Kris immediately took action. She called the resident and attempted to reposition me to obtain the heart rate via a different avenue. My body started expelling my son, and he was born within minutes of when my water initially ruptured.
What we didn’t know at that time was that when we lost his heart rate, it was due to his umbilical cord snapping, and our son suffered significant blood and oxygen loss. It is my belief that Kris’s sense of urgency saved our son’s life and the trajectory of his health. She took swift action and called everyone necessary. Upon delivery, my son had to be taken to the NICU immediately in order to receive life-saving care. Two hours later, Kris transported us to the NICU and was in the room with us when the neonatologist delivered the news of what we were facing.
Due to the trauma during birth, our son suffered from HIE, which had a spectrum of short- and long-term life-altering effects. It felt as if the air was knocked out of us. We were told that, ultimately, it would come down to the results of an MRI, which would scheduled on his seventh day. The next time Kris was scheduled to work, she dropped by when I was in postpartum to check in with us and see how we were doing. She also told us that she was praying for our sweet boy and our family, which meant the world to us. We gave her an update on the prognosis and timeline. She asked us to keep her updated and that she would continue to pray for us.
On day eight we received the MRI results; his MRI was clear! I could not believe the news, considering the tragic potential prognosis we received on the day he was born. I immediately went down to L&D to share the update with Kris; she gave me a hug and said she was so happy for us and had been praying every day for him and us. After 13 heart-wrenching days of having to leave our son day after day in the NICU, we were able to bring him home to meet his big sister and just be together. I know it was just another day of her doing her job, but for our family, she was part of a miracle. She played a critical part in saving his life and furthermore provided a family with compassion and support during the days when it seemed impossible to continue. We will forever be grateful to you, Kris.
Upon arrival, Kris greeted us with a very warm smile and told us I needed to be hooked up to the fetal heartbeat monitor for at least 20 minutes before she could unhook me. She started taking my demographic information and had just got me hooked up when my water initially ruptured. During the next contraction, we lost our son’s heart rate, and Kris immediately took action. She called the resident and attempted to reposition me to obtain the heart rate via a different avenue. My body started expelling my son, and he was born within minutes of when my water initially ruptured.
What we didn’t know at that time was that when we lost his heart rate, it was due to his umbilical cord snapping, and our son suffered significant blood and oxygen loss. It is my belief that Kris’s sense of urgency saved our son’s life and the trajectory of his health. She took swift action and called everyone necessary. Upon delivery, my son had to be taken to the NICU immediately in order to receive life-saving care. Two hours later, Kris transported us to the NICU and was in the room with us when the neonatologist delivered the news of what we were facing.
Due to the trauma during birth, our son suffered from HIE, which had a spectrum of short- and long-term life-altering effects. It felt as if the air was knocked out of us. We were told that, ultimately, it would come down to the results of an MRI, which would scheduled on his seventh day. The next time Kris was scheduled to work, she dropped by when I was in postpartum to check in with us and see how we were doing. She also told us that she was praying for our sweet boy and our family, which meant the world to us. We gave her an update on the prognosis and timeline. She asked us to keep her updated and that she would continue to pray for us.
On day eight we received the MRI results; his MRI was clear! I could not believe the news, considering the tragic potential prognosis we received on the day he was born. I immediately went down to L&D to share the update with Kris; she gave me a hug and said she was so happy for us and had been praying every day for him and us. After 13 heart-wrenching days of having to leave our son day after day in the NICU, we were able to bring him home to meet his big sister and just be together. I know it was just another day of her doing her job, but for our family, she was part of a miracle. She played a critical part in saving his life and furthermore provided a family with compassion and support during the days when it seemed impossible to continue. We will forever be grateful to you, Kris.