With the addition of Maternal Fetal Medicine specialist Dr. Mojirayo Sarumi, Christus Trinity Clinic recently launched a Maternal-Fetal Medicine Program that is treating patients from across East Texas.
Sarumi works with pregnant women with chronic health problems "to keep them as healthy as possible throughout pregnancy,” said Merri Murphy, administrative director of the clinic. “She will also assist patients with unexpected problems that develop during pregnancy, such as early labor, bleeding or high blood pressure.”
As a maternal-fetal medicine subspecialist, Sarumi is an expert in high-risk pregnancy. In Northeast Texas, where the rates of high-risk pregnancy complications like diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure and heart disease are all above average, the need for a Maternal-Fetal Medicine program serving this region is crucial.
MFM specialists treat conditions and illnesses from pregnancy through birth. Before pregnancy, Sarumi can provide advice for women with chronic health conditions or those who have experienced a high-risk pregnancy in the past.
MFMs use ultrasound, blood tests and procedures such as amniocentesis to look inside the womb and evaluate the developing fetus.
The MFM team also works with genetic counselors to offer tests such as integrated screening, noninvasive prenatal testing and amniocentesis. During pregnancy, Sarumi assists women who have faced recurrent pregnancy loss, preterm birth, blood pressure issues, bleeding and issues with the placenta.
Sarumi will work with other OB care providers to ensure high-quality care during labor and childbirth. MFMs provide input on when to induce labor, when and how to monitor the fetal heart rate, and whether a cesarean delivery is indicated.
After birth, Sarumi treats mothers struggling with issues that may have been worsened during pregnancy, like heart issues such as congenital heart disease, arrhythmia, coronary artery disease and pulmonary hypertension, as well as pulmonary issues, obesity, hormonal problems with troubling endocrine gland responses, digestion and blood conditions.
Sarumi came from Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine in Pennsylvania, where she served as the Maternal-Fetal Medicine Fellow.
When she was a young child, Dr. Sarumi’s family went through a tremendous health scare when her father was diagnosed with a life-threatening liver infection. Though not initially expected to survive, after months of treatment, her father was able to come home from the hospital. Dr. Sarumi was thrilled – and curious.
“[I pursued medicine because] I wanted to know what happened with my father, how it happened, and most importantly how I could help other people get home to their families one day,” Dr. Sarumi explained. “I love being able to be there with women during a very important journey in their life. So often, that journey is an incredibly happy time for women – but sometimes it is not. So, I really do love that I can be there with them, provide care and comfort, and I can be a part of their healing.”
