"MARGE,HE IS PERFECT!”

May 9, 2014    "MARGE,HE IS PERFECT!”

I was moved from the labor room to the delivery room. John and our labor room nurse went with me. It was a well-lit, crowded room, filled with attending physicians, labor and delivery nurses as well as house staff from both the pediatric and obstetrical services, along with anesthesiology. It was a large room. I felt safe and taken care of. Andrew was born very soon and he was shown to us immediately. He looked wonderful. The roomful of specialists saw nothing to concern them on their quick external inspections but asked our permission to take him immediately to the neonatal intensive care for a more thorough exam. Reluctantly we parted with him.

As soon as I was cleaned up John and I rode the elevator up to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) and were led to a window where we were able to see Andrew in his isolette crib.  He looked huge at 7 pounds, 11 ounces next to his nursery mates, some of whom were around 3 pounds. Most importantly, he looked healthy—pink and active. The next day I was able to nurse him and he seemed good to me—alert, strong, already firm musculature. Andrew never had a typical baby’s body. All of his pediatricians remarked on his unusually mature, athletic body. I stayed in the hospital for about a week—getting progressively more confident that we had a healthy baby. When we brought him home to meet his sisters, family and friends, our next-door neighbor, Terry said, “Marge he is perfect”.