Having Babies

All of my kids have a story about their births.

Oldest son - I developed PIH (Pregnancy Induced Hypertension) at around the 4th month. I went to the OB every week from that pont on. At week 32 I developed toxemia & had to go directly to the hospital from the doctor's office next door. This was the week right before the Super Bowl in 1978. Dallas & Denver were playing that year. I was forbidden to watch TV, listen to the radio or even take phone calls. I begged my dr. to be able to watch the Super Bowl & he relented. I said before the game that if I had a son and the Broncos won, I would name him Craig (for Craig Morton). Alas, it was a terrible game which the Cowboys won. The very next day (Monday), I had an ultrasound done to see if the baby was big enough to induce. Ultrasound technology was very new then & I was one of the first pregnant women to use the machine in St Francis Hospital in Monroe. In fact, there was a rather large group around it watching as it was done. That afternoon I went into spontaneous labor at about 4:30. My OB happened to be in the hospital because another one of his patients was about to give birth. He told them to bump the other lady from the delivery room & get me there pronto. My son (Erik) was born at 5:40. Because my OB had not been able to see the results of the ultrasound yet, he tried to hold the baby back until the pediatrician could get there (in 5:00 traffic). I found out later that an airplane was on standby at the airport in case the baby had to be flown to Shreveport. The Neo-Natal Unit was still being built at that time & most premies had to be flown to Shreveport. Well...Erik was born weighing 4 lbs and 11 ounces. The doctors said he had to develop on his own because of my PIH & he was larger and stronger than expected. He only had to stay in the hospital for a week.

Daughter - Again I developed PIH at around Week 33. I stayed in the hospital for a week during the week of Thanksgiving. They sent me home on a Monday. My mom insisted I stay at my parent's house in Bastrop (I was living in West Monroe at the time). On the following Thursday I went into labor at about 2:00 p.m. My mom called an old family friend who was a deputy sheriff. He drove me to Monroe in a Sheriff's Department vehicle - a station wagon in case I had to deliver on the way there. I was sitting in a chair giving them information when I informed them that unless they wanted me to give birth in that chair, they better get me to the delivery room. I was right. My daughter was born before I could even be sterilized. She was born at 5:00 p.m. weighing 5 lbs and 1 oz. She had to stay in the hospital for a week after birth also.

Middle Son - This was my only pregnancy without PIH. He was born in Los Angeles at full term and weighed 8 lbs 13 ounces and was 24 inches long. The nurses kept asking me in the delivery room if I was sure I wasn't having twins. :hihi: I went to the hospital at midnight on Good Friday & he was born at 5:45 a.m. This was also my longest labor which really wasn't very long compared to many,

Youngest Son - I was 37 when he was born & I was carefully monitored because I developed the PIH fairly early. He was carried to full term. I had worked until January 5. I went into labor on January 6 about 1:30 p.m. My husband had to drive me to Burbank, CA from our home in Van Nuys. Everytime he would hit a bump, I would have another contraction. My son was born at 5:38 p.m. He weight 9 lbs 1 oz. The unusual thing about his birth is that it snowed in L.A. the day he was born, which is an extremely unusual occurance. I was looking at snow on the mountains outside the birthing room (yes, things had progressed to birthing rooms by 1989) while I was in labor. This was the only birth where my husband was in the room at the time of birth.

So I had two tiny babies & two big babies. :) They are now grown & I'm proud of them all.

Jan