05/21/2026
Two years ago, at 26 weeks gestation, Maura, of Berlin, developed kidney stones, a medical emergency made even more dangerous by the fact that she was already considered high risk due to complications in a prior pregnancy.
“I was in so much pain, I honestly thought I was going into labor,” says Maura. “But when I got to the hospital, the nurse looked at me and said, ‘No, this isn’t labor, you’re in way too much pain for that.’”
Because of the risk to her unborn baby, doctors at UMass Memorial Medical Center performed a ureteroscopy. The procedure required close coordination between urology, maternal fetal medicine, anesthesia, and neonatology.
“I was awake, and there was this giant team, I think like 12 or more people, all standing around me, making sure everything was safe for me and the baby while they did the procedure,” Maura says. “Obviously, you’re nervous because your baby is right there. But watching them break up the stone on the TV screen in real time was incredible.”
Five weeks later, Maura delivered her son via C-section, healthy and full term, one week before he was due on Mother’s Day weekend.