Baby Safely Delivered In Montclair Thanks To Father-Daughter Duo

MONTCLAIR, NJ — When Chrissy Bouchelle was getting ready to have her second child, she was classified as a high-risk pregnancy due to her age: 42. So when a perinatologist told her to “go to the emergency room right away” during her 20-week checkup – even though there was no pain – it was a serious scare, she says.

But thankfully, after getting the medical help she needed, Chrissy and Russell Bouchelle would end up celebrating what a longtime doctor called “one of his greatest saves” when their daughter was born.

According to Mountainside Medical Center, navigating the ins and outs of delivering their first child was no easy task. After a few local tours, the couple chose a delivery at the Montclair-based hospital. But they still needed to track down the right OB-GYN to care for their baby during pregnancy.

Bouchelle eventually decided on Daniella Montemurro, an OB/GYN with Mountainside Medical Group she found halfway through her first pregnancy in 2017. It turned out to be a key decision – although the Bouchelles didn’t know it right away.

During her pregnancy with Leia, Bouchelle continued to see Montemurro, as well as her father and fellow OB-GYN, Robert Montemurro. The routine included a visit to a perinatologist at her 20-week checkup.

And that’s when she got some distressing news: go to the hospital – now.

“I wasn’t in any pain or discomfort … I didn’t know what was wrong,” said Bouchelle. After all, Bouchelle had previously given birth to her son, Cassian, at Mountainside Medical Center after a “sudden but relatively seamless” process.

She was met at the hospital by the senior Montemurro, who helped to explain what was happening. According to Mountainside Medical Center, here’s what the Bouchelles discovered:

“Chrissy was experiencing a condition called cervical funneling, where the amniotic membranes were on the verge of becoming exposed. After she and the baby were examined, Chrissy was administered anesthesia and inverted on the table so Dr. Montemurro could perform an emergency cervical cerclage. This procedure is often done to prevent miscarriages and preterm delivery. Though typically done by placing a single stitch around the cervix, Dr. Montemurro used two stitches to give Chrissy a better chance of successfully carrying her baby to term.”

Here's what happened next, hospital administrators said:

“Dr. Robert Montemurro prescribed antibiotics and scheduled follow-up appointments with her every two weeks. Though Dr. Montemurro was able to perform the cerclage, the chances that Chrissy would lose the baby were still very high (upwards of 95%) because this happened so early in her pregnancy. At 36 weeks, Dr. Montemurro was able to remove the stitches. Chrissy was able to carry the baby to 38 weeks, and delivered a healthy baby girl named Leiapold, whom they affectionately call ‘Leia.’”

“If I had had different doctors, I don’t think I would have my daughter right now,” Chrissy Bouchelle said. “I can’t thank them enough for their support and their advice throughout this.”

“Leia’s our little miracle baby,” she added.

Send local news tips and correction requests to eric.kiefer@patch.com

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