Baby Story

The Miracle?

Fast-Forward two years. Well, Around the beginning of August 2004 Missy started complaining (well, she
always complained but…) that she was feeling fatigued all the time no matter how much sleep she got and
thought she might have a serious health problem. She decided to stop by Medbrook one Friday evening
after work, since I would be night fishing, and have herself checked out. As a standard precaution the
medical staff performed a pregnancy test. Much to her surprise, and disbelief, the results were positive! WE
WERE PREGNANT! Missy was totally shocked and had no way to notify me since I was out on the lake with
no cell phone service, she had no choice but to wait for me to return around 3 a.m. She already had an
Ultrasound photo from the evening’s exam. They felt it would be a good idea to perform a vaginal
Ultrasound since she didn’t have regular cycles for them to determine how far along she was.

Now those who know us know that we have a lot of dogs that seem to have a lot of health problems and
regularly require surgery and other (expensive) medical procedures. As a result of this, I have seen literally
hundreds of Ultrasound results of their kidneys, stomachs, digestive tracks and just about any other organ
that can develop a problem. So, when I returned home from my (very successful) fishing excursion I was
greeted with a glowing wife. In her hand she held an ultrasound photo. When I first viewed the photo
several thoughts went through my mind, which dog is this? Is this a kidney? A bladder maybe? What
happened to them? Does it require (expensive) surgery? She said to me, “remember what we were talking
about earlier?”. That is when I realized that I was looking at Baby Hoops. Up to this point, in the deepest
part of my heart, I always felt I would fear this moment, every man does. However, words can not describe
the feeling that came over me, finally! Then, worry, a worry that I realized will never go away until the day I’m
dead. Will she be OK? Is this for real? How far along are we? So many questions, so many things to do,
can we really do this? I started calling family, yes, at 4 o’clock in the morning, and telling them the news. It
was wonderful. It’s still hard to believe, as I write this I am looking down at her sleeping in her bed and it is
still hard to believe she is really here. They said it woudn’t happen, they said it couldn’t happen, yet I am
looking at her right at this moment.

So, we’re pregnant, now what?

The Name

The name. The name thing is a weird subject because we can’t specifically say when we picked the
name. Only that it was WAY before we were even pregnant, before we even knew we “couldn’t” get
pregnant, even before we knew we wanted to get pregnant. I’m not saying she had nothing in it, we
obviously discussed it and agreed on it but I presented the name first, at least Olivia. The name is based
on my sister’s name, Elizabeth. I always liked the way Elizabeth Brooke Hoops flowed. With four syllables
in the first name, one in the second and one in the last, it just worked better (in my opinion) than a 2-1-1 or
2-2-1 or whatever else I had thought of before. I am a firm believer that folks with a one-syllable last name
need a multiple syllable first name, think about it.

Rose. We had picked rose for a middle name for no other reason than we think it’s a beautiful name.
However, there was a problem. After we found out that we “couldn’t” have children, Missy became a little
depressed. I decided to get her a puppy. (I know, cheesy) Now, up to this point, I have named every
animal we have owned and this one would be no different. It wasn’t planned that way, it just always worked
out that way. We would toss names against the wall and it never failed that the one I would throw always
stuck. For this puppy, I said “how bout rosie” for sentimental purposes, and it stuck. Now that we were
pregnant we debated about whether it was proper to continue with the name Olivia Rose since we had
given the name rosie to the dog. However, we had waited far too long to have a baby to name Olivia Rose
to change it for that reason. So, we kept it and Olivia Rose was born on March 15, 2005.

The Birth

Unlike most people, we knew our baby’s Birthday about a month in advance (barring any difficulties, of
course). The doctor said she would induce labor on March 15, 2005. This decision was made because of
Missy’s diabetes as it causes the baby to become quite large, in some cases (especially if untreated), so,
to avoid this, the baby was taken a few weeks early. We checked into the United Hospital Center on
Monday March 14, 2005 at 7:00 pm.

Missy was given cervidil at 9:00 pm. I would like to say we went to sleep but that didn’t really happen. The
next morning at 8:00 am she received pitocin and it was game on! Her contractions had started about 2:00
am and the pitocin increased their intensity and frequency. By 9:00 am she was in labor and the nice Missy
was replaced by the irritable Missy. It was around noon before she was given an epidural and the nice
Missy returned. For five more hours we waited for her contractions to get into the proper range for the
birthing process to begin. They broke her water at 3:00pm or so (wow). Around 4:45 pm they tried some
“practice pushing” and determined that the epidural was hindering her ability to properly push. They
decided to discontinue the medication and wait forty-five minutes for the effects to wear off COMPLETELY
before resuming the birthing process. At 5:30 pm, Irritable Missy accompanied by cranky and
uncomfortable Missy showed up and began pushing. It was hard for me to see her in this much pain, she
was basically giving birth “au naturale” and it was not “fun” anymore.

I stayed by her side the whole time. I wasn’t up out of the way by her head giving support. No, I was in the
trenches, holding one of her legs, coaching her and keeping her from kicking the doctor in the head. After
ninety minutes or so I thought to myself this isn’t so bad. I was able to the see the top of the baby’s head,
though still high in the birth canal, and everything was going along nicely. That’s when things changed.
The doctor said to the nurse, “I think we’re ready”. With that, the doctor stripped off some of the things she
was wearing and began “redressing”. She put on knee-high paper galoshes, a full-body paper apron and
rubber gloves that went back to her shoulders. I thought she was leaving to start her second job as a
veterinarian at a horse farm. No, it was for us. She then turned to a table that was covered with a paper
cloth. She pulled the cloth off to reveal an arsenal of clamps, clips, bowls, tubs, garbage bags and rubber
gloves. She had more tools than a NASCAR team. That’s when I knew I was in for a ride. I decided to
follow suit and stripped down to nothing but shorts and a T-Shirt, I knew it was about to get ugly. The next
forty minutes or so was a blur of screaming, grunting, growling, howling, instructing and disbelief. At one
point, Missy said in a strained voice “I don’t think she’s going to come out” to which I replied (with the baby’s
head in sight) “I don’t think you have a choice, believe me, she is coming out!”. Then, the baby’s head
popped HALF-WAY out and her contraction stopped, which meant, she had to hang out for another ninety
seconds or so until the next contraction to push her head the rest of the way out. I think that was the longest
ninety seconds of my life. Finally, the head was out, turned to the right and I realized I was the first person
to ever see my baby’s face and with that, she was born. Olivia Rose Hoops was a reality, an 8 lbs. 9 oz.
screaming, slimy bundle of joy. I ran down by the doctor who was still cleaning her face, grabbed the
scissors from the nurse and cut the umbilical cord as directed by the doctor. I threw the scissors down,
grabbed the camcorder and recorded the rest.

After witnessing the entire birthing process, I find it hard to believe the earth’s population is as high as it is.
I can understand everyone having A kid but what I can’t understand is how they work up the courage to do it
again and again and again. I guess that’s what they mean by Girl-Power!

The Pregnancy

The first thing I have to say about the pregnancy is how proud I am of Missy. She was a smoker, over a pack
a day. In fact, she had a cigarette in the parking lot before she went into medbrook. However, after finding
out she was pregnant, she NEVER smoked again, not even a puff, I wasn’t even allowed to smoke around
her. This was a woman determined. We immediately started prenatal vitamins and regular doctor visits
with our OBGYN, who was very pleased to hear the news. They had determined Missy to be around 7
weeks along so they went with March 30, 2005 as a due date.

We had immediately began extensive research on the internet and other resources about pregnancy and
prenatal care. Everything was going fine and right on schedule until week 18 and things got tough. I was at
work when I got a frantic call from Missy saying she was bleeding and our doctor ordered her to report to the
emergency room immediately. I drove like a madman to meet her there. I will not dwell too long just
enough to say I hope I never feel those feelings ever again and that even though I averaged 80 MPH, it was
the longest trip to the hospital I have ever taken. We sat for 12 hours waiting to see the doctor (thank god I
hadn’t been shot in the head) only for them to say they didn’t know what was causing it but that “it was
normal.”. Well, our OBGYN ordered bedrest for Missy for two weeks. It seemed to be the solution, the
bleeding stopped after a couple days and didn’t return for the rest of the pregnancy.

Based on our history the doctor placed us on the high risk list, which is not a comfortable feeling to have,
and with that meant doctor visits every two weeks, monthly Ultrasounds and a barrage of tests. One of
these tests is for gestational diabetes, which Missy failed. This is a pretty common condition and the
solution for it can vary from person to person. In our case, insulin, was not necessary but a change in our
diet was. We had to cut carbs and sugar and just be careful what foods and drinks we consumed.

Other things that need to be said about the pregnancy can only be told by Missy so I have included her
thoughts in quotes below

"Where to begin? The day I found out I was pregnant was a wonderful day. When the nurse at Medbrook
came in and asked me if I believed in miracles…I could hardly believe what she was telling me. In fact, I
asked her if she was lying. I couldn’t believe my ears and couldn’t believe that my Hoon was fishing and I
would have to wait until the wee hours of the morning to tell him that he was going to be a Daddy. They
took me upstairs for my ultrasound and I cried as I watched her tiny little heartbeat on the screen. That
is a sight I will never forget for as long as I live. I remember going out to the car and just sitting there for
quite a few minutes just soaking it all in. I looked at my cigarette pack and knew that I had had my last
one before going into the building. We had waited so long and had overcome so much in our lives that I
knew I would never do anything to even chance something happening to our precious baby that was
growing inside me.

I feel like my pregnancy was a breeze. Sure, I had morning sickness and the many minor discomforts
that pregnant women get, but I sure didn’t complain about them. I had waited so long and I knew all
these symptoms came with the territory and I was glad to be having them. I never wished any of my
symptoms away. The fact that they were there meant that she was there, and that’s all that mattered. I
would endure anything for her. I was so scared when I began bleeding at 18 weeks. I remember the
drive to the hospital and the thoughts that were going through my mind. We just couldn’t lose her is all I
kept thinking. Thankfully, the problem was with the placenta being low. I was put on bed rest for two
weeks. The next ultrasound showed that the placenta had moved up to where it was supposed to be, so
the worry lessened. Due to all the complications of getting pregnant, the bleeding, the fact that I had
gestational diabetes, and because I had a very cautious doctor, I had weekly appointments and twice
weekly Non Stress Tests to make sure the baby’s heart beat was ok. I never minded all the
appointments. I was just happy that everything was going well, and I got good news at all my
appointments. Baby O was determined to get here.

I really enjoyed being pregnant. I miss feeling her moving and kicking in my belly. She was a part of my
body for 9 months. So, I’m sure it’s natural to miss that feeling. I was able to keep her safe from the
world. Now that she’s here, and I’m a mother, I think about my own Mom. How was she able to ever let
me grow up? I know that it’s inevitable and she’s going to, but I just can’t imagine her not being my little
baby anymore. I’m already worried about her first day of school, the first time another child picks on her,
just learning about life, or even if she’s just had a bad day. I want to keep her safe from everything.
Sometimes I can’t even describe the emotion that comes over me. I just can’t believe that she is really
here. I had no idea that a human being could ever be so precious and perfect. I could just sit and stare at
her for hours, and sometimes do. When I look at her beautiful face, I’m overcome with love and
adoration for this tiny being that we created. She is a part of us, and she is truly a miracle. I was scared
at becoming a parent, of the unknown, but now, I can’t ever imagine life without her. Everyone warns me
that she is going to be spoiled. We waited for so long that I say we are entitled to spoil her. She
deserves it. Her Daddy and I are very proud parents. Who wouldn’t be? Just look at her."