When Paige’s water broke at 37 weeks pregnant, she was ready to meet her baby. It was a markedly different feeling from earlier in her pregnancy, when, at 25 weeks gestation, Paige underwent a surgery at Barnes-Jewish Hospital to repair a defect in her baby’s spine. With tears in her eyes, Paige was wheeled back to the operating room, hoping that doctors wouldn’t have to deliver her baby early because of the procedure.

Baby Makenna, diagnosed with a severe form of Spina Bifida at 18 weeks, received expert care from the Fetal Care Center and is now a healthy toddler.