Swelling. Fatigue. A broken foot. The flu. Wait! That’s a bit more than Monica Keene had bargained for with her third pregnancy. But she took what she was dealt, and made the best of it.
With two other children in the family, Monica and her husband, Doug, were generally prepared for the arrival of baby No. 3. Doug’s work took him on the road for weeks at a time, so Monica was often on her own with the kids and even had a friend on standby for delivery day (just in case). All was going along smoothly — until Monica broke her foot at 32 weeks.
A Bump in the Road
During an outing to her daughter’s school, her foot fell asleep while sitting and then popped when she went to stand. To make matters worse, it was her driving foot. Doug was on one of his out-of-town trips so Monica was left to struggle through the injury alone.
“When I went to the walk-in clinic, they gave me crutches,” Monica said. “I’m not sure how people use crutches on a good day, but add a HUGE belly and a swollen foot with a heavy boot… My arm pits were on fire and I needed an asthma inhaler while attempting to get to the car. Luckily, I got a handicap parking sticker – one perk of the injury.”
Monica quickly replaced her cumbersome crutches with a knee scooter and was able to be more mobile. Friends and family members proved to be very helpful as well, along with her obstetrician/gynecologist. Tricia Shimer, M.D., P.A., of the medical staff at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas, had been Monica’s OB/GYN for close to six years and was highly focused on her well-being through the injury.
“I wanted to assure Monica that her course of treatment for the broken foot was appropriate and that everything was okay with the baby,” Dr. Shimer said. “I respected the fact that she had some concerns, but we closely monitored her progress and worked to keep her stress level down.”
A Second Bump in the Road
Just as Monica was putting away the boot that had been on her broken foot for weeks, she began feeling unusually tired. This time it was the flu that threatened to derail her spirit.
“I remember calling Doug in the middle of the night to tell him I was dying,” Monica said, jokingly. “My body felt like it had been in the ring with Mike Tyson. The next morning he was home and we were off to see a doctor. I called Dr. Shimer immediately and again she supported everything the primary doctor had said. She assured me that my baby was fine and advised to stay hydrated. I felt very comfortable knowing that I could reach her at any hour and she would take care of me right away.”
Finally, Delivery Day
Despite a few bumps in Monica’s pregnancy road, she made it to delivery day. With Dr. Shimer and husband Doug on hand in the delivery room and a good friend waiting in the wings, baby Finley Roxanne was welcomed to the world without a hitch. Weighing in at 7 pounds, 6 ounces, Finley was a healthy baby girl.
Although Monica admitted that she doesn’t plan to spend any more time in Labor and Delivery, she was thankful to have such a great group of nurses taking care of her and Finley inside the Margot Perot Center at Texas Health Dallas. There was Labor and Delivery nurse Tanya Harp, who made sure Finley had a sweet bow hat to wear and several night nurses who kept her laughing even as she recovered from her cesarean section.
“I will always remember the people who made sweet Finny and me feel like we were the only baby and mom on the fifth floor,” Monica said.