TORONTO (November 23, 2009) - The Maternal Newborn Department had an unexpected delivery recently when it was asked by doctors at Mt. Sinai to accept a patient in labour with premature triplets.

“This is a huge compliment for us,” says Dr. Cramer, an obstetrician at The Scarborough Hospital who delivered the last set of triplets at the General campus in 1982.

The Mt. Sinai obstetrician “felt comfortable transferring here. He did not feel the care would be compromised,” says Dr. Cramer, who delivers about 400 babies each year. “It is extremely rare for us to get asked to take overflow from Mt. Sinai.”

Although The Scarborough Hospital’s Maternal Newborn Centre is one of the busiest in the city, delivering close to 6,000 babies annually, high-risk pregnancies – including a woman carrying triplets – are typically referred to hospitals that specialize in that kind of care.

Confident they could handle the delivery, the team in the Maternal Newborn Department at The Scarborough Hospital immediately prepared for the delivery.

When soon-to-be mom Anita Shlymon arrived by ambulance, she was anxious, nervous and a bit worried about delivering in an unfamiliar hospital with a doctor who had not cared for her throughout her pregnancy.

“I asked my doctor at Mt. Sinai to come with me. I didn’t want someone else delivering my babies. He knew my history. But he told me I didn’t have to worry, that Dr. Cramer was a good doctor,” says Anita. “I was worried but Dr. Cramer made me feel like everything would be ok. He was joking and that made me feel better. I received excellent care at The Scarborough Hospital and my three children continue to receive excellent care.”

The three baby boys were delivered within minutes of each other and are all doing well. One was transferred to Sick Children’s Hospital for specialized care. He returned to TSH a week later to be with his brothers; all three are healthy.

“No we don’t do this very often. But obstetrically you can’t compare what we do here to any other hospital in the city,” says Dr. Cramer. “We have high volumes. We have a very different and difficult obstetric population.  Many have had little or no prenatal care. There are nutritional issues. We do an excellent job with very trying circumstances.”

For further information please contact:

Tracy Huffman

Communications Specialist
The Scarborough Hospital
416.438.2911 x 6770

thuffman@tsh.to

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