In April 2021, Nicole Atzeni found out she was pregnant with her first baby. She and her husband were excited to start their family.
Other than some morning sickness, the pregnancy was uneventful. When Atzeni was 16 weeks along, she noticed some bleeding. She went to the Emergency Department (ED) at University of Utah Hospital to make sure everything was okay.
鈥淭he ultrasound showed that our baby boy had died,鈥 Atzeni said. 鈥淭hat was really awful to see.鈥
Atzeni and her husband were devastated. They were instructed to go home and return to the hospital two days later for a dilation and curettage (D&C) procedure to deliver the baby and clean any extra tissue from Atzeni鈥檚 uterus.
Unfortunately, Atzeni gave birth to her baby at home. She and her husband returned to the ED.
鈥淭hey had me sitting in a wheelchair in the waiting room, and I was bleeding all over and it was dripping from the wheelchair,鈥 she said. 鈥淲e brought Baby P with us鈥攖hat鈥檚 what we named him鈥攕o that the doctors could do testing to try and figure out why we lost him.鈥
Atzeni鈥檚 husband held Baby P while waiting to see the doctor. Atzeni then had a D&C in the ED and was sent home with pain medication. Testing on Baby P was inconclusive.
鈥淭hey call it bad luck,鈥 Atzeni said. 鈥淲e just say he was perfect, and it wasn鈥檛 our time.鈥
Personalized Care Leads to New Beginnings
Atzeni鈥檚 gynecologist referred her to Robert Silver, MD. Silver has been in the division of maternal-fetal medicine at 麻豆学生精品版 for more than 30 years. As chair of the Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, his clinical and research interests include pregnancy loss and stillbirth.
A month after losing Baby P, Atzeni met with Silver.
鈥淒r. Silver is my favorite person,鈥 Atzeni said. 鈥淭he first thing he said to me was, 鈥榃e are going to figure this out and you are going to have lots of babies.鈥 He is just an angel.鈥
Since nothing was wrong with Baby P, Silver decided to run some tests on Atzeni to make sure there wasn鈥檛 anything they had missed.
鈥淭he whole experience with Dr. Silver was very patient-led. [Dr. Silver] would always tell me, 鈥榊ou鈥檙e the boss鈥 and make sure I had everything I needed to feel reassured.鈥
Over the next several months, Atzeni and her husband tried to get pregnant with no success. Atzeni visited the Utah Center for Reproductive Medicine (UCRM), where specialists treat male and female infertility and work with patients to create customized, affordable treatment plans. Atzeni had testing done that revealed scar tissue in her uterus.
鈥淚 had a procedure to remove the scar tissue, and we were good to start trying again,鈥 she said. 鈥淲e tried more, and it still wasn鈥檛 happening.鈥
Atzeni and her husband decided to try Intrauterine insemination (IUI). Unfortunately, after three attempts, doctors informed Atzeni that she was reacting too strongly to the ovulation medication.
鈥淚 broke down and couldn鈥檛 do it anymore,鈥 Atzeni said. 鈥淲e decided to do IVF.鈥
In vitro fertilization (IVF) is a treatment to fertilize eggs outside of a woman鈥檚 body in a laboratory. The goal is to produce embryos, then place the best available embryo back into a woman鈥檚 uterus.
Atzeni started the process in January 2023 and had an embryo implanted into her uterus in April. Soon after, she found out she was pregnant.
鈥淚 was so happy and terrified at the same time,鈥 she said. 鈥淚t was the strangest feeling.鈥
At seven weeks along, the IVF team at UCRM transferred Atzeni to Silver.
鈥淚 bled at my first appointment with Dr. Silver,鈥 she said. 鈥淗e immediately got me in for an ultrasound to make sure the baby was okay, and luckily he was.鈥
From that point forward, Atzeni saw Silver every week until 39 weeks. She had a bedside ultrasound at every visit.
鈥淒r. Silver let me decide how often I wanted to come in for appointments,鈥 she said. 鈥淗e always made sure I was feeling good mentally and emotionally through to the very end of the pregnancy.鈥
For Silver, individualized care is the most important thing he can provide for each of his patients.
鈥淔amilies need to know that we do all that we can to individualize the care for each of our patients, depending upon their medical and emotional needs."
Welcoming Baby Edo After Loss and a Journey of Grief
Atzeni had an induction scheduled so Silver could be there to deliver the baby. However, Atzeni went into labor the day she was scheduled to go into the hospital.
鈥淓verything happened so fast,鈥 she said.
On December 29, 2023, Edoardo Glenn Atzeni was born. Although Silver wasn鈥檛 there for the birth, he came to visit the very next day.
鈥淥ver the next few days, Dr. Silver came to check on me and baby Edo a few more times,鈥 Atzeni said. 鈥淚t meant so much to have him there, after everything we had been through.鈥
Atzeni will always mourn the loss of her first baby. The grief didn鈥檛 go away after Edo was born.
鈥淚t鈥檚 strange, and I think a lot of people just think you鈥檙e healed since you got a healthy baby,鈥 she said. 鈥淏ut I felt a lot of grief for Baby P after Edo was born.鈥
Although the grief will always be there, Edo has helped heal Atzeni and her husband.
鈥淗e is our everything, he is our best thing. He has healed us a lot and we couldn鈥檛 love him more.鈥
More about the Utah Pregnancy After Loss Program
The Utah Pregnancy After Loss Program sees patients who have experienced the following:
鈥&苍产蝉辫;&苍产蝉辫;&苍产蝉辫; Stillbirth for any reason
鈥&苍产蝉辫;&苍产蝉辫;&苍产蝉辫; Newborn death for any reason
鈥&苍产蝉辫;&苍产蝉辫;&苍产蝉辫; Termination of pregnancy for medical or obstetric reasons
鈥&苍产蝉辫;&苍产蝉辫;&苍产蝉辫; Recurrent or other types of pregnancy loss
鈥&苍产蝉辫;&苍产蝉辫;&苍产蝉辫; Placental disorders including preeclampsia and fetal growth restriction
鈥&苍产蝉辫;&苍产蝉辫;&苍产蝉辫; Preterm birth due to medical or pregnancy problems
For those whose loss has just happened, the trauma is real, with answers and support hard to find. For those who seek another baby after loss, the road to a successful pregnancy is often a terrifying and lonely journey.
Families who have suffered loss, major pregnancy complications, and families who hope for another baby deserve cutting-edge medical care. They also often need mental health support in ways unique to their experience