Who Do You Think You Are?

Agnes Ellen (Hayes) Page 

About 1894 - 26 April 1929

Black River, North Carolina

Date of Birth: Do not know

Age: 35 years

The Cause of Death was as follows: Ruptured uterus due to fast presentation of the baby.

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I have babies. I have babies fast. I have babies really fast. I have babies really really fast.

Turns out it runs in the family.

Without going into to much boring (or gory) detail, I am glad I listened to my gut last year as I was getting closer to having Princess P. The docs here in the 'burg just did not seem to understand me, nor appreciate the gravity of the matter at hand.

But something deep inside of me whispered shouted, "FIND ANOTHER DOCTOR!" I did.  Dr. Isaacs was a God-send, a truly gifted individual with the hands of a surgeon but the heart of a midwife.  She listened, she researched, she consulted with others. She trusted me and she trusted her instinct. Consequently both me and my baby girl made it through the last eight weeks of the pregnancy and delivery alive.

My great-grandmother and her little one did not fare so well.

When I was pregnant with the Princess last year, I did not know how my great-grandmother died. I just discovered this information within the last month or two. All I knew was I had a deep feeling of unease and (what I thought was an irrational fear) that something would go horribly, terribly, and tragically wrong if I delivered Princess P. naturally as I had my other babies.

It was not just the fact that I have rapid labors, it was also the surgery I had 5 years ago plus the fact my babies come 7-14 days early. The doctors here in the 'burg simply would not consider delivering before 39 weeks for any reason.  I kept telling them, "I will never make it to 39 weeks!!! If you let me go that long, this baby is going to be born at home or on the side of the road!" (And I will most likely die. I never told them that part though, because I did not want to sound like a crazed hormonal pregnant lady, even if I was one!)

Like I said, I did not know my great-grandmother died in childbirth because of a precipitous delivery. I wonder if I had had this information a year ago if the doctors here in the 'burg would have listened more carefully to me.  It would have save me the trouble of driving all the way to the far side of Richmond for doctor's appointments but it also means my baby girl would not be a VCU Ram either.