When I first heard the Doctor say I was going to be a father, I had no idea the impact this would have or the adventures we were about to live through. It was winter of 1983 and she was pregnant with our first (and only) child. We were very excited and did all the things newly prospective parents do. We shopped for baby furniture, clothing, and as sundry other items we perceived we would need. We were offered advise from everyone who had an opinion on children in general. Some good , some not so good.
But the in about May we learned that Pat(my ex and the mother of my daughter) had contracted toxemia. a very mysterious illness, which caused the mother to be to have spikes in blood pressure and possible damage to the baby. She was directed to stay at home in a darkened room for total seclusion and bed rest. No stimulation was allowed and the curtains were to remain closed at all times. No phone, tv or visitors. This all at a time when we should have been rejoicing and enjoying the pregnancy and looking forward to the arrival of our first child. Being the young family that we were, there wereno savings or rainy day funds available. We were to try to get by on just my income. I worked a the local Ford dealer and would come hoem at lunch time to make Pat a light meal. ( that too had to be bland and NO SALT). After making sure she was taken care of and comfortably back in bed, I returned to work. At 5 I would come home to take care of any household chores and make dinner. Afterward I would return to the dealership to work on odd jobs the owner had made available to me, he knowing the financial struggle we were going through. Around 11 or 12 each night i would return home , shower and get anything that Pat needed to make her comfortable, and crash til the alarm sounded and we started all over again.
On her visit to the OB-GYN in late July, we were told that her blood pressire had not gone down, but in fact had risen to a dangerous level. it was July 21, one day before our anniversary. We were sent to the hospital, where they proceeded to call around the state looking for an available opening in a neo-natal unit. If our baby survived, we would need specialized care for her and her mother. The best location for us would have been in or near Orlando, so that I could stay with my sister and her family while going through the delivery. That bed was taken minutes before we could confirm and the search went on. aAt approximately 10:30 theat night, a room and care center were located in Hollywood Florida, just outside Fort Lauderdale and about 150 miles South of our home. Arrangements were made for an ambulance to take Pat, along with a specialized transport team, to the Plantation General Hospital. The weather had turned ugly , and a pouring rain with high winds had started as we rode down the elevator together. It wa s now midnight, and I leaned over toward Pat and said “Happy Anniversary” She was in no mood or condition to respond and the attendents loaded her into the awaiting ambulance. I was to follow in my car and try not to lose them, as I had no idea where we were going.
I was also instructed, that oin the case of an emergency, they would leave in a hurry and I was to get there by my own means.
By now the rain was flooding over the curbs and seeing was a trick in itself. The ambulance driver drove uop and down the highway and continue to turn around and repeat the same route again and again. Obviously lost, he made several passes before finally stopping into a gas staion to ask directions to the hospital.
When we finally arrived and they got the stretcher unloaded with my wife and soon to be born daughter, the clerk took me asside for the inevitable mounds of paperwork. However the first words out of her mouth threw me for a loop. This hospital requires a 1000.00 dollar deposit prior to admission for any neo-natal patients. It was the middle of the night and I had no idea where I was going to come up with that kind of money. I knew we didn’t have it in any of our accounts and the credit card didn’t have that much open either. I finally asked her to try the card anyway, and to my surprise, it went through. She was admitted and taken directly to a secluded, private, darkened room. The biggest problem now was the constant screaming of another woman in the same ward. All night long we heard her scream as the nurses monitored Pat for any improvements.
with little sleepby either of us, it was a miracle we both survived the night. Me in a recliner placed in the corner of her room. Pat strapped into her bed as a precaution to seizures from the high blood pressure. Pat arguing with the duty nurses all night about whether she was permitted to keep her glasses or not. She kept her glasses!
The following morning, the dr in charge, Dr. Poywing, examined her and gave further instructions for more bed rest and injections to increase the cell formation for the baby’s lungs.
The second night I was sent to a hotel,close to the hospital, to shower and try to get some rest. In the morning I met the Doctor in Pat’s room again. I was instructed to go home and that they would call if anything changed. she felt I would be better off getting away from there for anwhile and that Pat would rest easier, too
I drove home and called my boss to fill him in on the latest. I then called our families in Michigan to give them the updates. After taking a shower and a very short nap, I went about getting bills paid and such other tasks that had been dropped on our rush. At about 5 that evening, I recieved a call from the nursing supervisor. Pat’s blood pressure had peaked again. she was now at 200 over 166 and they were in the process of planning to take the baby by c-section. Theysaid they would probably not be able to wait for me to get back down there, but Pat had had some dinner and they would have to wait for a while before they could take her into surgery.
Not knowing what else to do, i called a very good friend, Marshall. After explaining the situation, he said he had a possible idea and would call me back in 10-15 minutes.I started packing for a return trip. Marshall called back and said he had called a friend from his church who had a private plane. He had not flown it in a few weeks , but for some unknown reason, he had gone to te airport that morning and had fueled the plane. Marshall picked me up and we met his friend at te airport as he made last minute flight plans and inspected the plane. We left Fort Pierce at about 8 and flew down following the Florida turnpike for guidance. We got to an unmanned , dark air strip outside Fort Lauderdale and he proceeded to call for clearance to land. As we touched down, he said he would wait for me to call a cab and for it to get there to take me to the hospital. By now it was pitch black. The cab finally pulled in and I was wisked away. The driver started asking for directions, like I knew where we were. I recognized a couple of strip malls and told him where to turn in. We arrived and I rushed in to find they were just prepping Pat for the surgery. W esaid our “I love you”s and good byes and she was rushed into the surgery room. the lobby was the only place open for me to wait in. i talked with the switchboard operators while I passed the time anxiously
At a little after 2:30 AM the nurse came out to announce I had a daughter. However she was only 2.5 pounds and would require an extended hospital stay. Pat was still in surgery and she would report as soon as the Doctor was done. About 30 minutes later the nurses came out with an incubator carrying my new born premie daughter. We road up the elevator together. All the time the nurses asking me questions . What were to name this new baby. She was so small and fragile. I have often told people, to Laura’s regret, that the first thought of her size was, she is no bigger than a skinned out squirrel.
I was left with instructions on scrubbing completely before I entered the neonatal unit. wearing a mask and gown, I nervously entered the unit. A nurse guided me to my daughter’s side and instructed me to put my hands inside and caress her arms and legs and to talk to her. Afte they were done with the measurements and checking her over, they took her out of the incubator and held her out for me to hold. I was scared out of my mind.
Due to the length of this story, I am going to continue it in a second part. “The hospital stay and getting our baby home”
