The birth story of Teddi Lamons’ newborn daughter Florence “Flossie” Lamons is one she loves to share. Teddi and her husband always knew they wanted to start a family, but they were uncertain if that would be possible because of a medical condition Teddi lives with.
At 21, Teddi was diagnosed with a severe form of ulcerative colitis, a chronic inflammatory condition of the colon (large intestine). After multiple hospitalizations, finally in 2017, she had surgery in which her entire colon was removed and a “J-pouch” made of small bowel was created to replace the large intestine’s function of stool elimination. The following year, however, Teddi developed Crohn’s disease in the J-pouch. This is a related disease that is marked by pain and gastrointestinal symptoms as well as weight loss and malnutrition.
She was started on an advanced therapy, called a biologic, which helped to calm down the inflammation and to attain a healthy weight again. Despite this, she did have fears of getting pregnant given her history of surgery and her needing to be on medications long-term.
Both ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease can increase the risk of pregnancy complications, such as miscarriage, preterm births, and underweight babies. Helping manage the disease well before trying to conceive can lessen the risks of having a flare-up during pregnancy.
When it was time to think about starting a family, she once again sought out care from Dr. Hwang, medical director of the Margolis Family Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) Program within Hoag’s Digestive Health Institute. Dr. Hwang collaborated with her esteemed colleague, Elizabeth Raskin, M.D., surgical director of the Margolis Family IBD Program, to treat Teddi until she was well enough to start a family with her husband, Remington, who was also a Hoag Digestive Health Institute patient.
While many women with Crohn’s disease are warned away from pregnancy, Teddi says that Hoag’s multidisciplinary approach brought OB/GYN and IBD experts together to make sure that Flossie’s birth was a success.
“I was in the best hands at Hoag. Dr. Hwang wanted to make sure I was in as much remission as possible because if you have a Crohn’s flare-up when you’re pregnant, you have limited options,” she said. “When I had my [colono]scope with her and she gave me the greenlight, that was a special moment for me. I am so grateful.”
Throughout her pregnancy, Drs. Raskin and Hwang at the Hoag Digestive Health Institute, Teddi’s obstetrician Candace Howe, M.D., and Hoag pediatrician Kristin Pelinka, M.D., consulted each other on Teddi’s care, the baby’s development and her birth plan.
They timed Teddi’s medication doses to coincide with different periods of the baby’s fetal development and mapped out the mom-to-be’s vaccination schedule to optimize both Flossie’s and Teddi’s health.
“They got me connected with high-risk obstetricians. With my condition, there is a risk of intrauterine growth restriction, and they took that extra care to be a step ahead of those risks,” she said. “I felt taken care of.”
Teddi was impressed with Dr. Raskin’s functional medicine background, which gives the surgeon a uniquely holistic perspective.
“She has the best alternative medicine advice through diet and supplements, which is really unique for a surgeon,” she said. “She is super empathetic and in tune with how mental health affects physical health. When she says it’s time for surgery, I totally trust her.”
On May 12, 2023, Flossie came into a world full of people who had been caring for her, planning for her and cheering her on.
The experience left Teddi and Remington hopeful that they can one day fill more car seats for future road trip adventures.
“The biggest thing I’m grateful for is Dr. Hwang’s patient-centered care,” Teddi said. “We worked together to create a treatment plan. She involved me in all the decision-making, and really worked to educate me so I understood my options. She has my trust.”
