Jack's Arrival

Wednesday, March 5th 2003 started out as a very normal day, but ended with the most spectacular event of our lives, Jack’s birth.

I felt fine all day that day, no strange signs or symptoms that Jack was on his way. I even had a prenatal check up at 4pm and got a good report from my doctor! After my check up, I headed home to check e-mail and as I was sitting at the computer around 4:45pm I felt what I thought was a typical pregnancy back pain. Then about 5 minutes later another, and 5 more minutes yet another. I didn’t think too much of it, I got up to stretch my legs when another pain came. This prompted me to call my doctor. She advised that I lay on my left side and drink a few glasses of water and call her back if I had more than 5 in the next hour. I grabbed the phone, some water, a piece of paper and a pen. I went upstairs and got into bed. I tried as best I could to jot down the times each one came. They didn’t stop coming. I called the doctor again, and she said to give it more time and drink more water. The pains continued every 5 minutes. Jason arrived home from work around 6pm and watched me go through 2 pains, and he called the doctor. She said if we wanted, we could go in to the hospital and they would put me on a fetal monitor to see what the problem was.

We left immediately and sped to the Good Samaritan Hospital, pains still coming, this time even closer together. We made it to a hospital room and the nurses paged for the doctor. Everyone was so rushed and looked so panicked. At this point I thought to myself “I hope I’m not in labor.” Jason stood by me and held my hand, assuring me everything would be okay. The doctor came rushing in and examined me and said I was fully dilated and was going to deliver this baby today. Those words still ring through my ears. Very frightened and panicked Jason called family to tell them I was in labor. I kept thinking “it’s too soon; it’s too early for labor.” I was so frightened.

They looked at jack with a portable ultrasound machine and noticed he was in a transverse position, basically he was “stuck” and neither head down nor feet down. The doctor said had he not been “stuck” like that, I would have delivered him in the car! This prompted him to call for an emergency cesarean section.

Just like a scene from the TV show ER, all kinds of doctors and nurses fully covered from head to toe in gowns, hats and masks wheeled me in to the operating room. The pains still coming they prepped me for surgery and listened to Jack’s heartbeat. I heard the nurses say they called Hershey Medical Center’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit transport team, and they were on their way with an incubator. They dressed Jason in protective clothing and he held my hand and stood by my side. They did not have time to give me spinal medication, so they opted to put me under full anesthesia.

I heard the sounds of voices and saw the operating room lights and felt Jason’s hand slowly drift away almost like I was going under water. Jack was born at 7:19pm. Then, (it seems instantly) I was coming back up from the deep water and Jason said “the baby is going to live.” Those were the best words I have ever heard. Still foggy and groggy from the anesthesia, I looked at Jason and we both said his name should be Jack. They wheeled me by baby Jack and I put my finger in his tiny hand and he grasped it and I fell in love!

They immediately rushed him to the Hershey Medical Center’s NICU and stabilized him and gave him all the support he needed to fight for his life. They called as soon as they got there to give us the news that he was stable and they were going to take good care of him.

Jason went to visit Jack that night and took digital pictures so I could see him. After recovering for two days in the hospital, I finally got to meet our precious son, Jack Riley.