While pastoring in my home state of Louisiana, my husband and I gained some long-lasting relationships. One of those lasting friendships is with a sweet friend whose birthday is October 7^th while my birthday is October 8^th! 25 years ago, we planned a date night to celebrate our birthdays. We chose the evening of October 6^th a Saturday, the day before my friend’s birthday. We had planned a night out on the town with our husbands for eating and playing miniature golf. I just happened to be 9 months pregnant; my due date was still a couple of weeks away. Yet, all through the golfing, I was experiencing – what I thought to be – indigestion. Bending to pick up the golf ball was uncomfortable to say the least. By the time we retrieved our other two children from my parent’s home and drove back to our house, I was pretty sure I was in labor. That meant we should have stayed at my parent’s! So around 3 a.m., we drove back to my parent’s home and waited a bit before heading to the hospital to have my baby on my sweet friend’s birthday. Since my medical doctor did not deliver babies (like we had experienced with our previous two), I was seeing a gynecologist. Regrettably, the whole delivery process was a nightmare. I was taken to a separate room to break my water and we had repeatedly told the attendants, once my water breaks – I’m having this baby! They didn’t listen! Here we are – not in the delivery room – and they think they will break my water, get an IV in me (which I did not have for the previous two deliveries), and then get me to the delivery room. As soon as all the fluid gushes from my amniotic sac, our little bundle pressures to appear. But the IV still needs to be administered and they still need to get me to the delivery room. So while I haven’t even had a shot of anything to relax me and help me cope with ALL THIS INTENSE PAIN, they finally get me to the delivery room and administer oxygen so I don’t pass out. They strap it to my wrist and place it over my mouth and nose. I’m finally feeling like I might want to live. Then Rodney seems to be losing it. The doctor suggested that the nurse lay him out on the floor. To this, I’m horrified! So here I am – birthing a baby but worrying about my poor husband! I start looking all over for the oxygen mask so I can share it with him, but it has already been taken away and there is no sign of it. While all this commotion is taking place in the delivery room on this Sunday morning, my medical doctor just happened to be making her rounds. The uproar alarmed her and she was concerned for my well-being. But she was soon relieved when this is what was wheeled out of the delivery room!

Of course, my sisters couldn’t pass up this wonderful opportunity to make a lasting photograph of it. Aren’t you happy they did, Rodney? 😉

25 years ago today, someone couldn’t handle a baby girl being born! Thankfully, my sister was there to take over when the nurse wheeled him out of the delivery room!