UMC Health System - Physician Notes

AT THE AGE of 31, Charlene Brenneise was excited about having her first baby. For the first several months of Charlene's pregnancy, everything was going precisely asplanned. "My pregnancy with Knox was absolutely amazing," Charlene said. "ere were no problems, and I was thrilled with how well everything was going. at is, until I started having contractions much earlier than expected." Just 28 weeks into her pregnancy, Charlene went in for a checkup to find out that she was 4 centimeters dilated — Knox was coming three months early. A MATTER OF TIME With Charlene's husband, Jeffrey, being active duty in the Air Force, the original plan was to have Charlene moved from the clinic near Cannon Air Force Base to UMC for Knox's birth. However, with a baby on the way, those plans had to change. "When doctors saw how far along I was, they decided that I'd deliver Knox at the local hospital, then they'd medevac him to the NICU at UMC," Charlene said. "It's around that time when I started getting really nervous." Knox was born late at night on April 26, 2016 — weighing just 2.7 pounds. Awaiting his arrival into the world was the UMC transport team. "It was a hard moment for my husband and me to see our baby leave us," Charlene said. "I only got to hold him for a split second before he was transported." In a matter of hours, Knox was stabilized and ready for transport to UMC, temporarily leaving behind two nervous parents. "Sam was the nurse from the NICU who came and picked him up," Charlene said. "We were nervous wrecks, but something about Sam's body language and demeanor really set us at ease. I'm not sure if it was his training or what, but he knew exactly what we needed to hear and explained everything that was going on in such great detail. at really set the tone for our entire experience." KEEPING CLOSE By the time Charlene and Jeffrey were able to get to UMC, Knox had already been in the NICU for several hours. "For being so young, Knox was a real trouper," said Melissa Piepkorn,M.D., neonatologist at UMC. "Despite having some WHEN LIT TLE KNOXŒBRENNEISE WAS BORN THREE MONTHS EARLY, HEŒ— ALONG WITH THE UMC HEALTH SYSTEM NICU — HAD TO PUT UP A FIGHT THAT WAS ANY THING BUT SMALL. PHOTO CREDIT: Megan Bar tlet t, Timeless Photography (Niceville, Florida) tiny beginning, mighty endeavor 4 PHYSICIAN NOTES /// SUMMER 2017

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