Unexpected Birth Across the Pond
UK-Based Mom Delivers Baby 10 Weeks Early and 5,200 Miles from Home
During a healthy pregnancy, it’s generally safe to fly up to about 36 weeks. So, when United Kingdom resident Georgia Katafygioti, who was 27 weeks along, decided to join her husband on business travel to the States, she wasn’t worried.
It was mid-April when the couple flew to Los Angeles. They spent two weeks visiting sites in California, Arizona, and Nevada. The day they were scheduled to fly home, life took a sudden turn—Georgia’s water broke.
Shocked and scared, the couple immediately called the travel insurance company who directed them to PIH Health Good Samaritan Hospital.
“Due to the stage of my pregnancy, our insurance company suggested PIH Health Good Samaritan Hospital because it has a world-class Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU),” said Georgia.
For three days, Georgia received medication to delay the birth and help the baby’s lungs develop. On May 2, 2013, Ioannis Konstantinidis was born at 29 weeks and 6 days (one day shy of seven months). Weighing just over 2 ½ pounds, Ioannis was taken to the NICU, where he received 24/7 monitoring and care from a team of experts.
“He had nurses keeping an eye on him all day and all night, feeding him, taking care of him and monitoring his weight,” said Georgia. “I remember all of the staff was super helpful and friendly—they took great care of us!”
After 26 days, the insurance company arranged a medical transfer back to the UK. That was 11 years ago, and the Konstantinidis family still has fond memories of the experience. Today, Ioannis is an active boy who enjoys playing video games, playing with his school mates, and pursuing hobbies like drawing and cycling. The family recently visited the hospital during their trip back to Los Angeles in 2024.
“It was brilliant to visit the hospital where I was born and meet some of the nurses who took care of me as a tiny baby,” said Ioannis. “I actually saw my first bedroom.”
For more information about our neonatal intensive care unit, go to PIHHealth.org/NICU.
