In Good Hands
Inova Fairfax Hospital Women’s Center, NICU Offer Personalized Care for Moms and Newborns

When you’re ready to welcome your baby into the world, Inova Fairfax Hospital Women’s Center is there for you and your new arrival. From pregnancy through delivery, we offer expectant parents the most comprehensive obstetric services in the region, all delivered in a personalized, caring environment.

We’re not the only ones who think this. For several years running, our hospital has been named among the top 25 hospitals in the nation for gynecologic care by U.S. News & World Report. This recognition reflects the high-quality care that we provide to women and the outstanding outcomes that are delivered each day.

A Guiding Hand

Janet Klontz can speak to this exceptional patient care firsthand. For Klontz, getting ready to have her baby girl was an exhilarating experience. The nursery was decorated for her daughter’s arrival, and she and her husband, Nathan, and their 3-year-old, Isaac, eagerly awaited the new addition to their family.

Klontz expected the delivery to be normal, but when it came time for her baby to arrive, Klontz noticed a pain in her right side that was different from her labor pains. It turned out that her uterus had ruptured, so to keep mom and baby safe, her doctor decided to do a cesarean section. Fortunately, Klontz was at Inova Fairfax Hospital, a facility that is nationally recognized for its physician expertise. The medical team successfully delivered baby Lucie while making sure mom was safe and comfortable.

“The anesthesiologist talked me though it and kept me calm, making sure I was comfortable the whole time,” recalls Klontz. “I knew there were a lot of people taking care of me.”

The baby also needed care. During delivery, Klontz’s baby experienced a life-threatening condition called hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE), a neurological condition caused by a lack of oxygen or blood flow to the brain or body. The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) team treated Klontz’s baby using a whole-body cooling procedure that protects the brain by slowing
the metabolism.

“Body cooling has not only been proven to be safe, it also significantly lessens the amount of neurological injury to a baby
and therefore improves survival and outcome,” says Claire Pagano, Patient Care Director of the NICU at Inova Fairfax Hospital.

The treatment involves gradually lowering the infant’s temperature 3 or 4 degrees by placing the baby on a water-filled cooling blanket. The baby is constantly monitored during the procedure and after 72 hours is slowly warmed to normal body temperature.

For Klontz’s baby, the procedure was highly effective. “Her outcome was outstanding,” says Pagano. “She’s completely normal, she had a great neurodevelopmental exam, and this is largely due to the total-body cooling procedure she received.”

Family-Centered Care

The whole body cooling procedure is just one example of the hospital’s unique capabilities. But delivering a baby is about more than capabilities and technology; it’s about creating a special experience for mommy and baby. From the time an expectant mother hands her car key to the hospital valet to the time she leaves, extra touches are evident throughout her stay. Special meals, breastfeeding support and on-site photographers are just a few of the things that the hospital does to make every delivery a special one.

“Even though we provide great nursing expertise and physician expertise at Inova Fairfax Hospital, we really are all about the patient’s personal experience because we know it’s one of the most important memories of a lifetime,” says Patricia Schmehl, Administrator of Women’s Services. “We spend a generous amount of time with our staff and all the employees to make sure that happens here.”

Home Again

Having adjusted to her life at home, Lucie is a happy and healthy baby who loves to explore her surroundings. As for Klontz and her husband, they’re relieved their daughter received the best care to give her the best start in life.

“We’re so happy with our NICU experience,” Klontz says.
“They were just wonderful and took such good care of our baby.”

	Get the Deluxe To register for a free Maternity Tour Deluxe or for one of a wide variety of childbirth education classes, call 1-855-My-Inova (1-855-694-6682).