There’s No Place Like Southwest General

Employee shares heartwarming story of giving birth at the Cosgrove Maternity Center

In June 2023, Maggie Bloomfield Avalos and her husband, Brad Avalos, were busy young professionals eagerly awaiting the late July arrival of their first child, a baby boy. Maggie was thriving in her pregnancy while continuing in her career as a registered nurse at University Hospitals (UH) Seidman Cancer Center at Southwest General. The couple also was excited about an upcoming milestone in Brad’s career—his graduation from the City of Cleveland Fire Training Academy.

The couple had a birth plan in place, intending to deliver at Southwest General’s Cosgrove Maternity Center, where, as an employee of the hospital, Maggie felt most comfortable and confident in the care she and her baby would receive. Then, at nearly 34 weeks pregnant, after arriving at work one morning, Maggie began to feel unwell.

Trusting Her Instincts

Maggie shared her unease with her supervisor, who encouraged her to contact her obstetrician. Her doctor then sent her to the Cosgrove Maternity Center at Southwest General for a check-up. Upon arrival at the Labor and Delivery Unit, Maggie’s blood pressure had risen significantly. Further complicating things, lab test results revealed abnormalities, including the presence of blood in her urine. This, coupled with her elevated blood pressure, raised concerns, and Maggie’s healthcare team decided it was best for both mom and baby to deliver at 33 weeks and 6 days’ gestation rather than wait any longer—even though this meant baby Avalos would be premature.

A Surprise Call

As she was admitted to the Cosgrove Maternity Center for the early delivery of her first child, Maggie knew she was in good hands. She understood that a preterm delivery could mean complications for the baby, including difficulty breathing on his own. However, she was reassured with the knowledge that the Cosgrove Maternity Center was a designated Level II Neonatal and Maternity Care facility, recognized as a provider of specialized care to premature infants born at or after 32 weeks’ gestation.

Maggie quickly texted her husband Brad about the sudden change in their birth plan and the imminent arrival of their child. Brad recalls his reaction upon hearing the news that their baby boy would be arriving early. “I thought she meant maybe a couple of weeks early, so I thought I had time to prepare,” he recounts. “However, I ended up rushing to the hospital immediately.”

A Successful Delivery

Five hours after arriving at the Cosgrove Maternity Center, Maggie delivered baby Archie via emergency Cesarean section. He weighed just 4 lbs. 15 oz. and spent 24 days in the Special Care Nursery. In that time, however, Archie needed only supplemental oxygen and a little help learning how to feed.

Although the birth didn’t go as planned, the family was able to include an important part of their birth plan in their delivery experience—skin-to-skin bonding time for Brad and Archie.

Care That Makes a Difference

As a nurse and firefighter, respectively, Maggie and Brad are used to being helpers, providing medicine, aid and comfort in times of illness, injury or emergency. Last summer, however, they learned that, sometimes, even helpers need assistance.

“Just six days after giving birth to Archie, I was diagnosed with a life-threatening blood disorder called Paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH) that likely caused the complications I experienced during delivery,” Maggie explains. “Thankfully, a hematologist/oncologist, Dr. Eric Kirby from the UH Seidman Cancer Center at Southwest General, was consulted on my case while I was still hospitalized. His expertise, paired with a quick diagnosis and immediate treatment, undoubtedly saved my life.”

Maggie subsequently spent time on Southwest General’s Critical Care Unit and 2D Medical Unit while receiving treatment.

“Everyone involved worked seamlessly together,” she says. “It’s clear that having access to such a comprehensive network of specialists was critical in my recovery, and I cannot thank everyone enough.”

Treating All Babies Like Our Own

Maggie still gets emotional recalling Archie’s delivery and time in the Special Care Nursery. “We can't thank the staff enough, and we are so grateful for the care we received,” she says. “Everyone from the nurse practitioners to the clinical nurses, occupational therapists and speech therapists, they were great at getting us involved in his care and ensuring we had a good experience as first-time parents, despite the situation.”

Brad, bouncing a happy and healthy Archie on his knee, adds, “It was a scary time seeing her [Maggie] go through all that … but all the nurses did an incredible job and made us feel comfortable during a scary time.”

“I tell everybody to come here because of the care we received. When I had to step away, the nurses treated Archie like their own,” Maggie recalls. She remembers returning to the nursery one day to see a nurse tenderly rocking and speaking to little Archie. “My baby was being taken care of in the way I would take care of him … you don’t get that everywhere,” she says through tears.

Brad appreciated learning the crucial points of infant care as a first-time parent. “They taught me how to get him to sleep, how to wrap him and make him feel comfortable; how to feed him with the bottle, change his diaper, little tips and tricks for how to soothe him.”

Life-Saving Care

When one thinks of hospital heroics, it’s often the Emergency Department or the Operating Room that comes to mind. But Maggie believes we should think of Maternity Units, too. “I would say that choosing Southwest General saved my life and my son’s life,” she says, wiping away tears. “I stand by that. It was the most challenging time, and the people we met … I’m forever grateful for.”

A Very Happy Birthday

At birth, baby Archie was too small to be measured on the newborn charts. As he neared his first birthday, he fell into the 90th percentile for weight and height.

Brad loves watching every new milestone, noting that “all the little things he’s been picking up and learning” have been a thrill for him and Maggie to witness. Maggie is overjoyed as she describes Archie’s transformation from “this tiny, tiny baby” to a “chunky monkey guy.” “It’s just a testament that these babies are resilient,” she says.

If she could go back in time, she’d reassure herself of Archie’s resilience. “They’re so strong,” she says.

Brad and Maggie recently celebrated Archie’s first birthday, which included a vacation and a big party at their home “to celebrate everything we’ve all been through and to celebrate him because he’s been so strong and such a trooper.”

Strong enough to be a helper himself someday? “Maybe,” says Maggie. Archie already has his first firefighter’s outfit.