Memories (installment 13)

I survived the miscarriage...funny how circumstances where you wish you could just die make you stronger.

I went back to work eventually, and before too long I was pregnant again. My first baby was due in May...I was pregnant again in April...this baby was due on December 31st. I recognize now, that had I NOT had the miscarriage, I would not have my wonderful eldest daughter.

We were living WAY outside of Columbia, in a little trailer and commuting into town for work and church. We barely had enough room for the two of us. There was NO WAY we'd fit a baby in there, too. We started looking for another place, and eventually found an apartment, but our lease was up, and the new place wasn't going to be ready for another month. What to do?!?

What happened was that we moved in with Jason's parents for a month. THAT was interesting, and NOT something I would recommend. There were three generations living in that house, and I was pregnant with the fourth. Three women and one kitchen. NOT a great mix. That, and answering the phone...

"Hi, may I speak to Mrs. P?"

"May I ask WHICH Mrs. P you'd like to speak with? There are THREE of us!"


Fortunately, that was only for one month, and then we were able to move into our apartment.

Sometime during that time, I had a small wreck on my way back to work after lunch with my in-laws. It really wasn't bad, but I had just gone through a miscarriage, and I panicked. I was terrified that I was going to lose this baby, too. I'm sure that the girl that "T-boned" me was not thrilled about having to pay for my ambulance ride and ER visit, but I wanted to make sure my baby was going to be okay.

During this time, I went through two more jobs...I was working as a switchboard operator at the Bible college I graduated from, and then changed, and was working in a daycare. I learned from that, too...I learned that I never wanted to put my children in a formal daycare situation.

While I was working the daycare job, I was put onto partial bedrest, and had to quit my job. My fluid levels were low, and the doctors/midwives were concerned about the baby. Besides that, my baby was in the frank breech position, and I needed to concentrate on trying to get her to turn.

As I mentioned earlier, the baby was due on December 31...sometime in October (I believe), an external version was attempted...picture this...HEAVILY pregnant mom, laying flat on her back in the hospital bed, with external monitors attached, accompanied by husband. Enter midwife and doctor, plus a nurse or two. Doctor climbs up on the bed, over the mom, and midwife gets on the other side of the bed. Using all four hands, doctor and midwife attempt to physically turn the baby around, pushing on the outside of mom's overextended belly. It HURT. And....it didn't work. That baby was STUBBORN, and was comfortably wedged up under my ribs.

After that spectacular failure, a C-section was scheduled...10 days before the due date, so as to not allow me to go into labor with a breech baby. Frances Lillian was born, via C-section at 7:58 am on December 21st. We arrived home from the hospital on Christmas Eve....in time for Christmas lunch at our house with Jason's parents, grandmother, sister, niece, and sister's boyfriend. That was also the day we decided to move again....