By Kathy Engle, Vitals contributor
Samantha and Vince Niles thought they’d add one more child to their family of four. Instead, they discovered they were expecting twins — a boy and a girl — doubling their joy. However, the news was bundled with unexpected challenges.
“As a high-risk pregnancy, I was being monitored very closely coming in three times a week for stress tests and ultrasounds with Sutter perinatologist, Dr. Sima Parmar,” Samantha says. “But when the babies’ weight gain slowed, I became Dr. Parmar’s first patient admitted to Sutter’s Memorial Medical Center in Modesto.”
The stakes were high. Baby B’s umbilical cord had kinked, impacting his growth. With compassion and clarity, Dr. Parmar guided Samantha through each step.
“I was panicked and crying as Dr. Parmar calmly explained the situation,” Samantha recalls, still fighting back tears more than two years later. “But the way that Dr. Parmar narrated my care, explaining what was happening in terms I could understand, makes her the hero of this story in my opinion.”
Bringing Perinatology Expertise to the Central Valley
Since 2011, Dr. Sima Parmar has worked within the Sutter system, beginning at Sutter Medical Center, Sacramento. Over time, she observed more families she cared for traveling from the Central Valley, needing high-risk care during pregnancy. With extended family in the Central Valley, Dr. Parmar decided to relocate and serve the communities of San Joaquin and Stanislaus counties in 2021 as part of Gould Medical Group, becoming the sole Sutter perinatologist in the area. Since her arrival, Sutter has added four neonatologists to expand the program and help meet demand. A second perinatologist is also slated to start in 2025.
“In the outpatient setting we see more than 3,000 newly pregnant patients a year, performing all their high-risk ultrasounds and closely monitoring their pregnancies,” Dr. Parmar says. “Our inpatient admissions have doubled in recent years, helping more families receive state-of-the art care close to home.”
The Niles family prior to Samantha being admitted to Sutter Memorial Medical Center in preparation for the twins’ birth. Clockwise from top: Vince Niles, Samantha Niles, Hunter Niles and Charlie Niles.
In 2022, Sutter’s Memorial Medical Center and its Family Birthing Center began the process of elevating its neonatal intensive care unit to provide higher levels of care, serving more families across the Central Valley. Dr. Parmar credits the vision and community partnership of the Modesto-based Antone & Marie Raymus Foundation, whose support has accelerated the vision and commitment to expanding hospital resources, making space for antepartum suites and enhanced perinatal care in Modesto a reality.
“Studies show if you keep moms and babies close to their support networks, you can keep them pregnant longer,” Dr. Parmar adds. “I am profoundly grateful for the support of the Raymus Foundation. Their gifts advanced the pace for us to bring this high-quality care for generations of families in our community.”
Creating a Positive Birth Experience
Admitting Samantha to the hospital allowed Dr. Parmar to closely monitor her twins and extend her pregnancy as long as possible. Delivered at 32 weeks Baby B, named Cannon, had slowed in growth, potentially from lack of nutrients, making him the smaller of the twins. Baby A, named Daisy, developed a pneumothorax — a complication of premature babies with air outside the lung in her chest cavity—placing her briefly on a ventilator.
“I was told we might have to transfer Daisy to another hospital to resolve the problem,” Samantha says. “But before too much panic could set in, another doctor assured me they could fix the problem at Modesto, thank goodness.”
“Samantha’s belief in our team allowed her to stay close to her family, but it also paved the way for us to learn how best to build a program that is stronger for everyone in the community, and for that I thank the Niles family,” Dr. Parmar says.
See more about the Niles family’s experience with their Sutter care team in this KCRA-NBC-3 story
The Niles children in 2022. Clockwise from top: Cannon, Charlie, Daisy and Hunter.
Gifts of several million dollars from the Raymus Foundation, along with Sutter Health’s vision to increase access to care across the footprint, have helped local teams transform the level of healthcare services in San Joaquin and Stanislaus counties. In the last few years, Sutter’s Memorial Medical Center has opened three antepartum suites to provide high-risk perinatal services. The suites provide extended care for maternity patients who require longer hospital stays prior to delivery. Sutter’s Memorial Medical Center also added special equipment to safely move babies between the labor and delivery unit and the NICU. Without antepartum suites, women experiencing complications before giving birth would have to travel to Sacramento or the Bay Area for prolonged admissions that were far from their families and community support.
NICU Family Reunion
Charlie, left and Hunter, right, cozy up to their mom while visiting her at Sutter Memorial Medical Center.
Family members initially encouraged Samantha to transfer her care to the Bay Area, but her trust in Dr. Parmar kept her in Modesto during December 2021, amid the pandemic. The older Niles boys had never been away from her for long, and staying local was vital. Special accommodations were made for the family to meet in a lobby area that was next to the NICU but separated by glass doors.
“My boys called it our living room,” Samantha says. “I thought we’d be home by Christmas, but we were not together as a family for 50 days. Now that the twins are turning three, we are excited to have the entire family visit the incredible NICU team that cared for all of us.”
Philanthropy broadens access to care, fuels medical innovation and inspires limitless possibilities for all. If you are interested in supporting the Sutter Memorial Medical Center NICU or antepartum unit, contact Jana Rhine at jana.rhine@sutterhealth.org.
