“Rare” is a welcome adjective when it comes to cars, coins or antiques, but less so for pregnancy conditions. Yet Meghan, a University Hospitals nurse-turned-patient, heard the word often after a routine 21-week anatomy scan showed that she had a chorioangioma, a tumor of the placenta comprised of abnormal blood vessels, which affects fewer than 1 percent of pregnancies.

“I must have heard the word ‘rare’ ten times in one visit,” she laughed. “With UH being a research hospital, everyone wanted to see what was going on with me.” It's even less common for such tumors to grow from 4 to 8 centimeters, as Meghan’s did. “I started looking into case studies, being a nurse, but none were like mine,” she said.

The chorioangioma’s vascular nature and location on the placenta can shunt blood away from a baby’s vital functions. At its worst, the condition can cause fetal heart failure, with the mother sharing symptoms through what is called mirror syndrome.

Hope in Rare Territory

Meghan was referred to a maternal-fetal medicine team and soon began visiting UH Ahuja Medical Center two times weekly. As the tumor grew, Meghan and her husband, Philip, faced a choice. They could consider surgery and a likely 24-week delivery of their daughter, or Meghan could take a beta-blocker used to treat heart-related issues, aiming to slow down the growth of – or even shrink – the chorioangioma.

“As a former NICU nurse, I know the implications of delivering a baby at 24 weeks,” said Meghan, who has more than a decade of nursing experience at UH and now works in outpatient pediatric neurology. “We decided I’d take the blood pressure medication, even though I’d feel side effects since I didn’t need it myself.”

In following this course, Meghan and the baby were monitored closely with visits as often as twice a week and a fetal echo every one to two weeks.

Compassion Amid Uncertainty

Meghan and her baby made it healthy through a figuratively and literally dizzying next 3 months to the 34-week mark. Though the tumor did not shrink, the medication slowed its growth.

“I felt safe in unknown territory,” said Meghan. “My doctor was always willing to call me after-hours to talk about my baby. It felt like everyone in maternal-fetal medicine knew me.”

In March 2024, Meghan, Philip and their four-year-old daughter, Paige, met baby Parker. They spent one week in the NICU – much better than if she had been delivered prematurely.

“When you are referred to maternal-fetal medicine, it’s scary and anxiety-inducing even for someone familiar with it,” Meghan explained. “You have to let them do their thing. And the team at UH went beyond anything we imagined.”

Meghan is grateful for the exceptional care she received – and that her pregnancy will provide the case study she sought early in her journey. She’s even more grateful that one-year-old Parker is doing all she can to keep her family busy and joyful.