Ebony Wilson [speaking to someone beside her]:
Yes, I do remember that.

Narrator:
After trying for over a year, Ebony Wilson was ecstatic to learn she was pregnant.

Ebony Wilson:
Being my first pregnancy, I didn't think that I had any complications.

Narrator:
But Ebony and her husband lost their son when she unexpectedly went into labor at just 20 weeks.

Shannon Gillespie, PhD, RN [speaking to a patient]:
You have a chance to take a look at the website...

Narrator:
As an obstetric nurse. Shannon Gillespie saw many patients at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center affected by preterm birth. Black mothers were also twice as likely to give birth early compared to white mothers for unknown reasons.

Shannon Gillespie, PhD, RN:
What I was seeing was all of this uncertainty, and I hated that. I hated that for the patients, for the providers. I knew everyone wanted to help but just didn't have the tools necessary to do that.

Narrator:
So Gillespie began developing one — a test that can be completed early in pregnancy, using less than a teaspoon of blood. That so far is showing remarkable accuracy.

Shannon Gillespie, PhD, RN:
We've known for a really long time that stress, depression, anxiety, even adverse experiences in childhood, a long time before you get pregnant, increase your risk for preterm birth. But we had no idea why. 

Narrator:
Her research found that specific biomarkers indicate how pregnant people's immune cells handle challenges both physical and mental, providing a fairly clear picture of the risks.

Shannon Gillespie, PhD, RN:
We are truly producing a future-likely scenario early in pregnancy. And so, if the body's not responding in the right way, We can see that. 

Narrator:
This foresight could allow clinicians to implement the right preventive measures earlier, based on each individual's needs. 

Ebony Wilson [speaking to her child, holding photos]:
Yeah, that was you.

Narrator:
Knowing her risks helped Ebony through her second pregnancy, and although her daughter, Ava, was born early at just 23 weeks, she survived.

Ebony Wilson:
Not only did she make it, she's thriving. She's doing well. 

Ebony Wilson [singing to daughter]:
If you're happy and you know it, stomp your feet. Stomp stomp. 

Ebony Wilson: 
She's top tier and she's special. She's going to do special things.

Narrator:
At the Ohio State Wexner Medical Center, I'm Barb Consiglio.