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TO THE JOYS AND RISKS OF
PREGNANCY AND CHILDBIRTH WHEN
IT COMES TO A WOMAN'S SUPPOSED
TO BE HAPPIEST TIME IN LIFE.
SOME WOMEN GIVING LIFE
LITERALLY RISKS THEIR OWN.
DR. MAX GOMEZ TELLS US OF A
YOUNG WOMAN WOULD FACED THE
POSSIBILITY BUT MODERN MEDICINE
KEPT HER ALIVE.
Reporter: THIS IS THREE WEEK
OLD KENNEDY JORDAN WHO ASIDE
FROM DELIVERED PREMATURELY IS
DOING JUST FINE.
IT COULD HAVE BEEN A VERY
DIFFERENT STORY FOR MOM, ASIA
JORDAN.
SHE HAS A GENETIC DISEASE SHE
INHERITED FROM HER MOTHER.
THE PATIENTS TEND TO GROW VERY
TALL WITH MULTIPLE ORTHOPEDIC
ISSUES.
ASIA HAS HAD RODS PUT IN HER
BACK TO STRAIGHTEN SCOLIOSIS
BUT IT'S WHAT IT DID TO HER
HEART IS CONCERNING.
SHE HAD TWO OPEN HEART
PROCEDURES.
SHE HAD AORTIC ROOT REPLACEMENT
AND THEN A SECOND MORE
COMPLICATED PROCEDURE WHERE
THEY HAD TO GET INSIDE THE
HEART.
Reporter: DOCTORS HAD STERN
ADVICE FOR ASIA.
THE RECOMMENDATION WAS
PROBABLY NOT TO GET PREGNANT
AND IF I DID DECIDE TO GET
PREGNANT TO BE PLANNED.
KENNEDY WAS NOT PLANNED.
Reporter: THE REASONS FOR
THE ADVICE?
HER RISK OF MORTALITY WAS
VERY HIGH, AT LEAST 50% IF NOT
MORE.
HER BIGGEST CONCERNS WERE
STROKE, HEART FAILURE, AORTIC
DISSECTION.
Reporter: IT TOOK AN
INTERDISCIPLINARY TEAM
MONITORING AND WORKING WITH
ASIA TO KEEP DISASTER FROM
STRIKING HER AND HER UNBORN
BABY.
PREGNANCY ITSELF INCREASES THE
AMOUNT OF BLOOD THE HEART HAS
TO PUMP.
BLOOD PRESSURE AND HEART RATE
CHANGE PUTTING STRESS ON THE
ALREADY WEAKENED AORTA.
THEN DELIVERY.
RODS IN HER BACK MEANT EPIDURAL
WAS IMPOSSIBLE, ANOTHER RISK
FOR AORTIC RUPTURE.
MY JOB WOULD BE TO KEEP THE
BLOOD PRESSURE AS STABLE AS
POSSIBLE DURING DELIVERY.
ALL WENT WELL THANKS TO GOOD
LUCK AND GOOD DOCTORS.
I WAS IN AWE THAT THIS
PERSON WAS INSIDE ME.
I WAS SO SMALL.
WHEN I SEEN HER I COULDN'T
BELIEVE IT.
Reporter: THERE IS A 50%
CHANCE THAT THE BABY WILL HAVE
MORPHAN BUT SHE WON'T BE
TESTED.
AS FOR ASIA, EVEN AFTER
DELIVERY THINGS COULD HAVE
HAPPENED.
SHE'LL HAVE TO BE MONITORED
BECAUSE HER AORTA COULD
CONTINUE TO WEAKEN.
FOR NOW SHE AND KENNEDY ARE