When her already high-risk pregnancy turned serious, Ashley Krahwinkel’s doctors turned to Northside Hospital experts.
After Ashley and her husband, Tony, suffered the loss of a son who was stillborn two years ago, Ashley was considered “high-risk” when she became pregnant again. She’d get checkups every two weeks, and at 21 weeks her care team discovered placenta previa, which landed her in the hospital three times — the final time for the remainder of her pregnancy.
Ashley’s perinatal physician in Savannah immediately contacted Dr. Kevin Gomez and Dr. Michael Dawson to make a game plan, and Ashley was transported to Northside Hospital Atlanta. Once here, Dr. Gomez performed two successful intrauterine fetal blood transfusions — “pretty amazing if you ask me,” she said — to help save her daughter’s life.
“If you want anyone to perform something on you while pregnant, it’s him,” Ashley said.
After a hemorrhage caused by the placenta previa, Ashley was told she was going to the operating room for an emergency Cesarean section. She was at 30 weeks of pregnancy.
Madelyn Krahwinkel was born July 25, 2022. Maddie weighed 4 pounds, 2 ounces, and measured 16 1/2 inches.
“It was very fast,” she recalled. “I think by the time they rushed me from my high-risk room to the OR, put me under and had Maddie delivered, it was under 30 minutes. Dr. Dawson truly made me feel as comfortable and at ease as he could. He knew about my story, my fears and anxiety from the moment I was assigned to him.”
Maddie needed seven weeks in the Special Care Nursery at Northside Hospital before getting to come back to Savannah. She stayed for two weeks in the neonatal intensive care unit of a hospital there before getting to go home.
“Since I lived five hours away, had a husband and a 3-year-old at home, it was extremely hard to be away from them for so long,” Ashley said. “Thankfully the high-risk pregnancy floor I was on was absolutely amazing. I got to know the nurses really well and they always did their best to make me less homesick.
“Dr. Dawson, Dr. Gomez and each and every one of Maddie’s NICU doctors and nurses without a doubt are the reason Maddie is alive and thriving today. I will never, ever be able to thank them enough for everything they did to save her life.
“Her smile lights up any room she’s in and is such a joy in our lives! We are so, so thankful for each and every person that had a part in taking care of our miracle girl!”
