01/19/2026
What began as a routine labor and delivery turned into a dramatic race against time when a rare uterine rupture threatened the lives of both Selina Najdanovich and her baby girl Audrey in late 2025. But thanks to the swift, coordinated response of the Silver Cross Hospital obstetrics team, a moment of crisis became a story of extraordinary, lifesaving care.
Uterine rupture is a rare life-threatening condition, happening in fewer than one in 8,000 pregnancies. When it happens, the wall of the uterus tears open, leaving the fetus without the protection of the uterus and causing life-threatening consequences for both mom and baby.
“It is a true emergency that places the mother’s and the fetus’ lives in danger of the highest order,” explains Silver Cross Medical Group obstetrician/gynecologist Dr. Husam Marsheh, who delivered baby Audrey.
Selina was due Oct. 31 and went in for an induction and attempted VBAC Oct. 29. She and the baby were doing well, but the induction wasn’t producing the expected results, so Dr. Marsheh recommended a cesarean section for first thing Oct. 31. But around 8 a.m. that day, Najdanovich said she began having increased pain in her lower abdomen. And even with an epidural, the pain hit a 10.
“My nurse, Fernanda, was wonderful. She got the charge nurse and then contacted Dr. Marsheh. The rest was a blur. The last thing I remember thinking was, ‘I don’t think my baby and I are going to live through this,’” she said, becoming emotional at the memory.
But when she woke up a couple hours later in delivery, her husband was holding their new baby, Audrey, who was healthy and weighed in at 7 pounds, 10 ounces; and 21 ½ inches long.
“I felt like in that moment, what had happened was a miracle,” she said.
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