29 Years

 Blessing Day

I just returned from the Utah Valley Regional Medical Center.  I went for a follow-up mammogram/ultrasound and received the great news that my cyst is benign.

As I prepared to leave my home this morning, I reflected back on my trip to this same hospital 29 years ago.  The irony was not lost on me.

Twenty-nine years ago I was two days shy of my due date for my second baby.  I had spent the afternoon piano shopping (I obviously was VERY PREGNANT - I had to repeatedly remind my Grandma A. that, no, I was NOT carrying twins! - and there was not a piano bench to be found in the piano store.  The salesman told me the store kept the benches in the back to discourage children from sitting on them and plunking on the pianos.  Heaven forbid that we break one out for the pregnant lady!  Unfortunately, he did not pick up on my pregnant condition and did not offer to go find me a chair, bench, box, overturned garbage can - anything that I could sit down on for a few minutes.

Anyway, I ended up standing way too long for my condition and finally retreated to my car to head to my doctor's appointment.  When I got there the doctor was out on a delivery call and I was given the option of having a nurse check me or returning in an hour or two.  Since I was so close to my due date, I decided to go over to the mall (it didn't make sense to drive all the way back to Pleasant Grove and then drive all the way back) while I waited for the doctor's return.  I ended up in JC Penney's and took my sweet time wandering around the store.  After about an hour and a half, I drove back to the doctor's office and signed in.

I had delivered my first baby two days before my due date and I was curious as to my 'readiness' with this baby.  I had been experiencing a lot of false labor and so I was feeling optimistic about my situation.  After exchanging greetings, Dr. Judd got down to the business of checking me for any dilation.  The only way I can explain it is to tell you it felt like he was checking my heart (but not with a stethoscope)!  After I regained my ability to talk I asked him just exactly what was that all about!  He casually replied that my baby was posterior and he had attempted to turn it right there in the exam room.  I suggested that next time I would appreciate being knocked out or numb before he tried that move.  He told me that unfortunately he hadn't been able to turn the baby but the good news was I was dilated to 4 cm and he would see me later that night.  The impact of what felt like him trying to rotate my whole insides was that he had 'stripped my membranes' (felt more like 'ripped out my heart') and that would induce labor sometime that evening.

FOUR centimeters!  I remember thinking, "I could have had that baby looking at fabric remnants in JC Penney's!"  I was lucky he/she didn't drop out at the piano store between the uprights and baby grands for the lack of a piano bench!  Four centimeters - it took me 10 hours to get to 2 centimeters with my first baby.  This was great/terrifying news!

I drove home praying that I would not start having serious labor pains until I arrived home and, as I walked in the door, sure enough - intense labor began.  We quickly packed up Elizabeth, dropped her off at my parents and headed to the hospital.  We arrived about 6 p.m. and Ryan was born at 9 p.m. the day the US hostages were released from Iran and the night before Ronald Reagan was sworn in as president of the United States.  After four blessed short hours of labor - a beautiful baby boy!

The rest of our winter was spent in a dense fog (literally and figuratively) as we tried to find ways to deal with a colicky, sleepless, screaming baby.  That January was so foggy that my mom got lost coming to see me at the hospital.  Those were LLLLLLLLOOOOOOOOGGGG months.  We saw very little of this . . .

and A LOT of THIS . . . (at 4 months the longest Ryan had slept at any given time was 1 1/2 hours)

But we survived and were rewarded with this . . .

So on the 19th of January today and 29 years ago, I received great news at Utah Valley Hospital.
Today, a clean bill of health and 29 years ago, a healthy baby boy.
 Happy Birthday to our firstborn son.  Love, Mom