3 Is a Magic Number for the Saenz family

Samantha welcomed Amaya into the world on June 11, 2019. 

Samantha Saenz has a wish for the New Year. “I just want to be more present and mindful in the moment. Being that I’m busy trying to work and have three kids that are wild!”

Samantha and her husband Jesus Saenz welcomed Amaya, their third baby girl into the world on June 11, 2019. Older sisters, Elsie, 3, and Claire, 2, love having a little sister. Yes, that’s 3 kids under 3! They give Amaya toys to play with and the sisters like to get her worked up and make her laugh. They even help feed her.

“It was actually not too bad of a transition at all,” Samantha said.

Samantha experienced complications with all of her pregnancies. When she was pregnant with Amaya, Samantha had gestational diabetes and pregnancy-induced hypertension. Dr. Michael Enrico, OB/GYN, at Mankato Clinic, cared for her during her pregnancy, labor and delivery. He continues to be her doctor today.

“I really appreciated that Dr. Enrico was very direct with my care and had a good plan in place. He was very transparent with me about the things that needed to be done,” Samantha said. “He was picky about my care and where he wanted my blood sugars to be.”

As a nurse who works at the Sleepy Eye Medical Center, she liked Dr. Enrico’s practical and professional approach. To manage her diabetes, Samantha checked her blood sugar daily and reported the numbers to Dr. Enrico. Toward the end of her pregnancy, she had to take insulin. For the hypertension, Samantha checked her blood pressure regularly.

Dr. Michael Enrico, OBGYN

“We ask a lot of our moms with these conditions. They come in for many extra visits. We check their blood sugars every day and their blood pressure often twice a week. They do extra blood tests and visit with our certified diabetes educator to make sure they are eating the proper foods,” Dr. Enrico said. “Samantha had the same goal as me – to try to make the blood sugars perfect.”

Dr. Enrico kept a close eye on her throughout her pregnancy. In her final trimester, Samantha came in twice a week.

“Samantha came in more often for extra, fetal surveillance. Through ultrasound or fetal heart monitoring, we give the baby a chance to tell us if something is wrong. Diabetes and high blood pressure can cause problems for baby,” Dr. Enrico said.

The OB nurses were also very helpful and responsive throughout her pregnancy.

“They were all really good, really knowledgeable. They communicated really well. If I called, everything was relayed really fast to Dr. Enrico and he got back to me,” Samantha said.

At 37 weeks, Dr. Enrico induced Samantha. Due to her conditions, it was time to deliver the baby. The labor was short, fast and intense. Labor and delivery took four hours from start to finish. All went well for mom and baby. The diabetes and hypertension disappeared after delivery.

Samantha returned to her nursing position at Sleepy Eye Medical Center. Since her husband Jesus is a police officer, their schedules are crazy. Life is busy, wild and wonderful at the Saenz home in St. Peter.

Read more about Patient Experiences in OB services at Mankato Clinic Obstetrics and Gynecology. 

Read more about Mankato Obstetrics and Gynecology.