Posted in Just Our Day-to-Day Life

At this time 29 years ago, I was in the University Hospital in Columbus following yet another emergency C-Section due to PROM (premature rupture of membranes).   The afternoon before, my water broke, and my dad rushed me to the local hospital.  This was the day after my regular check-up at which my doctor told me “Don’t worry about me being on vacation this week.  There’s no chance you will deliver while I’m gone.”  Famous last words before he took off and left me…

Dad left me at the hospital and went to work at the factory in the same town, thinking he would stop back and check on me after work.  My mom and I were frantically trying to track down my hubby, as he was on the road training with the phone company.  He got to the hospital just as the “fill in” doctor had decided that the baby was only 3 pounds, and that our local hospital couldn’t care for one that small and early.  So off in the ambulance we went at around 11 o’clock that night, right before my poor Dad got to the hospital only to find me not there.  What a scare we gave him!  

On the way to the big city, our local ambulance driver got lost, and had to stop and ask for directions at gas stations along the way.  People stared in the side windows at me and I felt like I was on exhibit.  It was scary, because with my first pregnancy I had had an emergency C-Section, and was told that I could never have a ******l birth.  What if I went into labor in the ambulance?  They couldn’t do a C-Section there!  And around and around the city they went, trying to find University Hospital.  Thank God that we got there in time!  Good thing He was taking care of me and my baby, cause the ambulance drivers sure weren’t doing such a great job.

At the hospital, I was once again on exhibit, due to some strange anatomy problems, and due to the fact that this was a teaching hospital.  Every intern and resident had to get a chance to view my insides.  How embarrassing!   Then I was rushed into surgery, and Mike and the interns and the residents all viewed the surgery from the “observation deck” up above.  At this hospital, I was allowed to stay awake, and got to see my little girl as soon as she was born.  This was back in the Dark Ages when many hospitals didn’t allow husbands to be in the room or the mom to be awake.  And obviously in the days when ultrasounds were not what they are today, because my 3-pounder turned out to be a 6-pounder.  Even though she was 3 weeks early, she was perfect, other than the fact that her fingernails had not grown in hardly at all yet.  That was the only sign of being early. 

Today my beautiful second darling daughter is celebrating her 29^th birthday.  I simply can’t believe where the time has gone.  I remember so very well turning 29 myself, and it was a traumatic experience for me.  I thought that being that close to 30 was just awful, and thought I was soooo old!  Now my baby girl is that age, and has had a daughter of her own, my sweet little Ellora Faye, and will be having her new sons with her in just a few weeks. 

Happy Birthday, Chelle!  Mommy loves you and is very proud of what you are doing with your life!