When Mykela Talley was just 27 weeks pregnant, her blood pressure spiked to 183 over 89.
She was sent to Regional One Health, where she would have access to both high-risk pregnancy experts and a top-level NICU.
Now, as she looks forward to finally taking her baby home, Mykela is grateful for the care and support both she and her daughter received.
They are numbers Mykela Talley will never forget: 183 over 89.
That was her blood pressure when she went to her OBGYN for a prenatal visit at about 27 weeks pregnant.
Mykela had been having her blood pressure checked regularly because it had been slightly elevated at a previous visit – but at 183 over 89, it was a genuine emergency.
“My doctor told me I needed to get to the hospital as quickly as possible and not to eat or drink anything. I was in tears. I was panicking,” Mykela said. “Everything happened so fast.”
When she got to the hospital where she was scheduled to deliver, her blood pressure spiked even higher. Doctors and nurses made the decision to transfer her to Regional One Health, where she would have access to the most advanced care for both her and her baby.
Regional One Health is home to the Mid-South’s leading high-risk pregnancy service, where maternal fetal medicine physicians have the expertise and resources to care for complex pregnancies and births. The hospital also offers a top-level NICU so babies born early or with other critical medical needs can immediately receive lifesaving treatment.
Mykela and her daughter Kylie would need both.
After being admitted to Regional One Health’s perinatal unit, Mykela was monitored closely and given medication to control her blood pressure and prevent seizures.
“All of my nurses were more than great. They were very attentive,” she said. “They were in and out of my room checking on me and asking if I was OK and if I was comfortable.”
wired premature baby lies in the incubator
Eventually, however, it became clear she would have to deliver at just 27 weeks pregnant. “They had exhausted the medication they could give me, but my blood pressure kept spiking,” Mykela said. “Everything went so fast. In two days, I went from feeling fine to going to my doctor to being transferred to having a baby.”
Kylie was born weighing just 1 pound, 5 ounces. She was taken immediately to the Sheldon B. Korones Newborn Center NICU.
Mykela remembers initially being terrified to hold her tiny baby, but Kylie’s nurses stepped in to help her and dad Eric Knowlton gain confidence.
“They’re amazing. They answer all our questions and they’re very attentive to Kylie,” she said. “At one point, I cried in one of the nurses’ arms, saying, ‘I just want her to come home with me.’ They helped me hold her and to do skin-to-skin as soon as possible. Now, we do it for 3 or 4 hours a day. That’s her happy space.”
After two months as a NICU mom, Mykela settled into a routine.
“I get up and get my son ready for school. I drop him off, come home and get dressed, and then I’m here. I sit with her, I do skin-to-skin. A little after 2, I leave to get my son, and then we do homework and dinner. And then we do it all again the next day.”
When she can’t make it to the hospital from her home in Millington, Mykela watches baby Kylie on the camera system provided by the NICU and calls several times a day to get updates on Kylie’s progress. Kylie is gaining weight and eating well, and Mykela hopes to be able to take her home in late February or early March.
“I call her my little Tinkerbell,” Mykela said. “She’s very sassy. When she doesn’t want to be bothered, she lets you know. She’ll break out of her swaddle and kick her little legs. She has a mean side eye – it’s lethal!”
While Mykela is grateful for the exceptional care, there is nothing easy about an extended NICU stay. Mykela said an updated NICU with private rooms, which is part of Regional One Health’s plans for a new hospital, would be the best of both worlds: exceptional doctors and nurses working in world-class facilities.
“Oh my gosh, that would be so amazing,” she said. “I’d never leave! She’d get sick of me!”
While Mykela hopes families will enjoy those benefits in the future, today she’s simply happy to see her daughter benefit from the Sheldon B. Korones Newborn Center’s mantra that every baby deserves a healthy start in life.
As Kylie gets closer to going home, Mykela is excited to see how Eric and their son Zachary, 7, interact with the newest member of the family.
“Eric has always been a boy dad! It’s going to be good to see him be all mushy and delicate with her,” she laughed. “Zachary has met her on FaceTime, but I can’t wait for them to meet in person. He calls her peanut, because that’s what I was using to describe her when I was pregnant. He’s going to be a great big brother.”
As for Mykela, she’s thinking about her future as a mom and more. “Kylie is such an inspiration, and so are my nurses. They even inspired me to think about being a nurse in the NICU someday,” she said. “I’m very grateful for them and everything they’ve done for me.”