From high-risk newborn to new mother at Sharp Mary Birch

It was a calm and quiet afternoon in early April. The soft, rhythmic drumming of a baby’s heart rate monitor filled the room.

“It’s been a very easy stay here,” said Sydney Sachs, speaking from her hospital bed at Sharp Mary Birch Hospital for Women & Newborns. “All the doctors and nurses have been so great and helpful. I’ve loved it.”

At the time, Sydney was 36 weeks pregnant with her first child — a baby girl — and had been in the hospital for a month, receiving care in the perinatal special care unit (PSCU). This unit provides care specifically for women like Sydney with high-risk pregnancies.

Women can have high-risk pregnancies for multiple reasons, including having heart, lung or kidney problems. This is where Sydney’s journey with Sharp continued after being born at Sharp Mary Birch more than three decades ago.

With Sharp — from the very beginning

A quadruplet, Sydney and her identical sisters, Bailey, Quinn and Madison, were born at Sharp Mary Birch in 1995 at just 28 weeks old. “I was the third out of four and the smallest,” says Sydney.

She was in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) longer than her sisters — nearly three months.

“My kidneys weren’t strong enough and weren’t fully developed,” Sydney says. “I went home three months later because I was finally doing better. When I was about 10 years old, they kind of stopped growing. Then, when I was older, I found out I had chronic kidney disease.”

Sydney’s kidney function was monitored at Sharp Memorial Hospital. She eventually had her first kidney transplant in 2016. “My dad donated that kidney to me,” says Sydney. “I had it for six years. Then it rejected, and I had to go on dialysis.”

Sydney was on dialysis and stabilized for one year before it was time for her second transplant in 2022. This time, her mother, Heidi Waitley, was the donor.

“That’s the kidney Sydney has today,” says Heidi. “She’s been through a lot and is doing great.”

Life in the PSCU

Sydney is grateful she’s received great care at various Sharp hospitals throughout her life. “They know me very well at Sharp Memorial,” she says.

In 2026, Sydney’s journey with Sharp continued in the PSCU at Sharp Mary Birch during her first pregnancy.

She was closely monitored during her stay because of her kidney transplants. Dr. Tevy Tith, Sydney’s maternal fetal medicine doctor, who is affiliated with Sharp Mary Birch, says patients and their babies in the PSCU are regularly checked on to optimize outcomes at the end of pregnancy.

Dr. Tith was concerned about Sydney’s kidney function possibly worsening. “Pregnancy puts more demand on the kidneys, which have to work harder to function for mom and the developing fetus,” she says.

There were also concerns about complications, such as preeclampsia, a condition during pregnancy typically characterized by high blood pressure, with symptoms similar to organ rejection. It can cause serious problems for the mother and the baby if left untreated.

“Sydney was already at a higher risk because of her kidneys,” says Dr. Tith. “She was experiencing symptoms of preeclampsia, including persistent headaches and vision changes, which is why I admitted her to the hospital at 32 weeks.”

Sydney’s care team in the PSCU did frequent lab work on her and her baby and monitored their heart rates to ensure they were both stable. Dr. Tith — with the help of the wonderful nephrology team at Sharp — helped to manage Sydney’s anti-rejection medication for her kidney transplant, which included frequent blood draws to check her kidney function.

They were able to prolong Sydney’s pregnancy to 36 weeks, when the baby needed to be delivered because Sydney continued having headaches, vision changes and high blood pressure. “We tried to induce labor, but the baby did not tolerate it well, so we did a cesarean section,” says Dr. Tith.

An exciting new chapter

Avery Bailey Sachs, a healthy baby girl, was born on April 4. Her birth marks a new chapter in her family's journey with Sharp.

“From my surgeries to all the doctors and nurses, we’ve always stayed with Sharp,” says Sydney. “They’ve helped me a lot, and I’m very thankful. And now, getting to experience the excitement of having a baby is great.”

Returning to Sharp Mary Birch together with her mother, 31 years later, was a special experience for Sydney.

“I remember it all,” Heidi says. “The staff here is amazing. I felt so confident with the care at Sharp, and now, this is granddaughter No. 5 for us!”

Sydney shares the same excitement, adding that some of the nurses recognized her and remembered their family. “That was a cool connection and full circle moment,” Sydney says. “They made Sharp a home away from home.”

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