Throughout every step of Anat Kind’s challenging pregnancy, from when medical problems were first detected until she went home with beautiful baby Ella, she was supported and cared for by Sheba’s staff.
“There isn’t enough room on the page to share our entire story, so I’ll summarize and just share the highlights of the miracle that was done for us by Prof. Yoav Yinon, the incredible staff of the NICU, and the dedicated nursing team for maternal and fetal medicine,” said Anat.
Here’s Anat (and Ella’s) inspiring story:
At week 23 of pregnancy, a screening test led to a diagnosis of hydrothorax (an accumulation of fluid in the pleural cavity). I was confused and felt totally lost, with no idea what the condition meant. At first, I considered terminating the pregnancy, because all I wanted was a healthy baby. But then I realized that the one and only address for figuring out what to do was Prof. Yinon.
Being the wonderful person he is, Prof. Yinon answered our after-hours phone call that Friday at 6pm. He had no prior knowledge of who we were, but he gave us his time and patience – speaking on the phone with us to answer all of our endless questions about pregnancy and birth. That same day, we understood that we were going on a journey together with this doctor.
From then on, we met weekly with Prof. Yinon. The meetings were glowing points of light and milestones along our journey. We had two frightening episodes involving the health of our little fetus, and due to the boundless mercy and concern of our doctor, those crises passed in peace.
It’s impossible to fully describe the feelings of security and tranquility that we felt, all because of the medical team looking out for us. One look at our doctor was enough to reassure us we were in the best hands! We knew Prof. Yinon was committed to not letting anything happen to our baby, and he would do anything in his power to ensure our good health.
I will admit, I was often a “hysterical little mother,” but the medical team at Sheba dealt with me and my questions with supreme patience and understanding – acting as a tower of clear light in a complicated situation. For that, Prof. Yinon and Sheba will always be in our hearts and family, with special merit for the miraculous Ella, “the little gift” that was able to enter into our lives!
After three intense months, our journey our pregnancy and birth came to a successful end. At 8:18 am on July 28, 2020, our precious Ella was born – strong as a tree and touched with God’s help. She was born via emergency surgery; with all the concerns we had about her, she surprised everyone as she began making her way in this world.
The nurses always cared for us with a smile, compassion and as powerful a desire for a happy ending as we had! We still miss the “family” who was always there to support us.
We spent 27 days at Sheba, in intensive care and the NICU, but then, we were finally able to take Ella home. Now, we’re still overflowing with appreciation to the neonatal team and everyone who works in maternal fetal medicine. We began in intensive care, a unit filled with scared, worried parents. It was not an easy place to be. However, the entire staff was like a community of angels who carried us to safety.
Prof. Strauss deserves a special thank you, as well as Dr. Leibovitz, who was fully dedicated to us through the birth and our discharge home. We also have much gratitude to Dr. Naama, who could calm our hearts with just one glance – even through the mask on her face!
And we can’t forget Prof. Weiss, Dr. Rosen, and Dr. Noa Mubarak, too… So many people were a part of our success.
To Sheba, I say “Keep doing what you’re doing! As the saying goes, he who saves one life has saved a world entirely. Without a doubt, you saved our world.”
