Angel #1
My anesthesiologist. My previous experience in this area was a complete disaster and resulted in my almost coming out of anesthesia on the operating table. Unpleasant. It had been done by a resident and both Lance and I vowed never to let that happen again. Needless to say I was a bit apprehensive going in to the procedure for the second time, so when the anesthesiologist said he was a resident we truly intended to politely decline and ask for the attending, but to our mutual amazement we both hesitated. Maybe it was his calming Southern drawl or the way he held his clipboard, but he put off a good vibe. I told him as much and though still terrified I agreed to let him do the procedure. With the knowledge of my history and one look at the fear in my eyes he promised me a pain free spinal block with the added bonus of not being paralyzed afterward. He even went to bat for us with the attending to make sure that Lance could be present while they put in the block, which I guess is not normally done. (And might I add, why the blankety blank not?!!! When they are going to be inserting a needle into your SPINE a pillow is of little comfort when compared to a husband!)
Long story short, he delivered. Well not the baby, but the promise he made. I didn't feel a thing while they put in the spinal block (the words "I'm done" were like a warm ray of sunshine), I was numb within minutes (which he made sure to check before I was sliced open this time), and stayed that way through the surgery (Pleasant). He even laughed at my nervous lame jokes about eating Crown Burger later and making sure they put everything back where it belonged (okay maybe the jokes were hilarious). He really did a phenomenal job and provided a calm and controlled atmosphere in which all other doctors and nurses were able to work and which allowed me to be able to enjoy the arrival of my baby girl, for which I can not be more grateful. To all other residents, may I say, confidence restored.
Angel #2
My mom. The wonder woman who comes bearing food, toys, and hand sanitizer to make the transition from one baby girl to two as easy as possible. Here is to my mom who did my dishes, washed my laundry, cleaned my bathrooms, and spoiled my Alex so that I could recover and focus on my new little one. What would we do without moms!!!
Angel #3
All those who came to my rescue on a particularly scary evening. We had a health scare with Nora one evening around 9 o'clock. All our research had said this was a fairly common occurrence, but we called our pediatrician's office just to make sure and instead of being reassurred we were told to go immediately to Primary Children's hospital. They didn't even want to see us in their office first, saying they were not equipped to handle this kind of problem. Obviously now panicked but not knowing what to believe, and wanting to spare Nora a midnight trip to the hospital where she might be exposed to something worse than what she already had, we started calling everyone we knew in the medical profession to try to get a second opinion. We were told over and over again that this was normal and not to worry and that no trip to Primary Children's was necessary and that our pediatrician's office was probably busy and just trying to cover their bases since she was so young. So we decided to wait and watch, and sure enough her two week appointment confirmed that this was a common and normal occurrence and was nothing to worry about.
Special thanks to Dr. Darren, my aunt Karen, her daughter JaNae, and my awesome cousin Brianne who is one of those fantastic nurses who work in the nursery and take care of your baby while you're in the hospital. She truly talked me off the ledge and even went through her old nursing books and found the exact name and description of what was happening. For going above and beyond the call of duty, Brianne you rock!!! It goes without saying, but thank you also to a wonderful husband who can keep a level head, find the logical solution, and comfort and reassure an emotional and panicked wife.
And if we truly were just dismissed by our pediatrician's office because of the lateness or busyness of the hour I say Grrrrrrrrrr to that individual. Primary Children's is not like Denny's where it's fun to go in the middle of the night.
I know this isn't everyone. There have been so many who have helped us, including all our wonderful neighbors in our adequately named ward. So, in short, thank you to all the Angels who have helped us welcome our newest one.
