Volunteer ultrasound saves Omaha baby’s life

OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) - Kelsey Kelley signed up to volunteer for a teaching ultrasound at Nebraska Methodist College when she was 30 weeks pregnant.

“I figured I would just show up and sit in a nice, quiet, dark room and relax for an hour. That’s kind of what I was expecting,” Kelsey said.

The scan was long. The baby was in an awkward position. Then instructor Mandi Tanner stepped in and noticed something. A section of the baby’s bowel looked dilated, a sign of a possible blockage.

“Every scan that we do matters. And what we do will make an impact on the healthcare community,” said Tanner, a sonographer at Nebraska Methodist College.

Tanner filed a report and urged Kelsey to call her doctor. Within hours, her OB/GYN team called back. Within a week, she was sitting across from high-risk specialist Dr. Matthew Brady.

“I walked into that appointment thinking I was honestly wasting Dr. Brady’s time — until he made it clear he was happy I had the volunteer scan. That’s when I was like, oh no, that means something must be wrong,” Kelsey said.

Dr. Brady confirmed the concern. He said without that volunteer scan, Kelsey likely never would have had another ultrasound before delivery.

“Without the volunteer scan, there would have been no medical reason for an additional ultrasound to be done in her pregnancy,” said Dr. Matthew Brady, a maternal and fetal medicine specialist at Methodist.

The finding set off a coordinated chain of care. At 33 weeks, Kelsey’s water broke. Bennett was born Nov. 23. He needed three surgeries and spent 70 days in the NICU. But because the team knew what was coming, they were ready.

“I would have just fed him like usual — and there’s a high likelihood his bowel would have perforated. And then it’s high risk for infection and other complications. It would have just been a lot more complicated to fix,” Kelsey said.

For Tanner, it was a full-circle moment. Her students watched every step, from the catch to the care.

“I feel like there were too many things that happened all at once for this to have the outcome that it did. I’m grateful that God allowed me to be a part of seeing that outcome,” Tanner said.

Nebraska Methodist College is looking for volunteers for sonography training.