Saying Goodbye

I found out last night that the doctor who delivered Sullivan passed away suddenly at 39 years old.  My sweet Dr. Shannon Moorehead, I am completely stunned.  

At my eight week appointment she did all of the normal things and gave me an ultrasound herself.  At my twelve week appointment she listened to me talk about having just lost my job and our uncertainty about insurance, sensing emotion in my voice she gave me an ultrasound to "peek" at the baby.  She loved looking at the ultrasound with me and I remember just smiling so much as we watched our little peanut bouncing around.  Then again at my sixteen week appointment she asked me if we wanted to find out what we were having and we definitely did, so she gave me an ultrasound.  It was then that we found out we were having a boy.

Three of the four ultrasounds I had were given by her.   I was 28 weeks pregnant when August came around and it was time for Arty to start dental school on the other side of the country.  She knew my fears and anxiety over the possibility that he could miss the birth of our sweet boy.  I looked forward to every doctor appointment and it was agreed that at 39 weeks I would be induced so that my husband could buy a plane ticket and be with me in the delivery room to witness what was nothing short of a miracle.

 (Don't mind the position)

I think her face says EVERYTHING about who she was to me.

  I am honored that her hands were the first to touch my sweet baby's skin.  Her's were the first arms to reach for him and hold him and look in his eyes and witness his first breath of air.  My labor and delivery was truly amazing and she was a HUGE part of that experience.

 October 23, 2010

I remember that it was important for me to give her something so I got her a black stretchy elastic headband with a silver sequined bow on it because she sometimes wore cute headbands.

 

A week after delivery I had some bleeding and Dr. Moorehead checked me and gave me her cell phone number to call if I needed.  She encouraged me with breastfeeding (because I had to pump for over a week before I nursed Sully for the first time) and said that she had a rough start with one of her three babies and he ended up doing great with nursing.  She was right, Sullivan loves breastfeeding(even now but that's another story).  When I went in for my follow up appointment she was wearing the headband I got her.  It was the day before my dad, Sully, and I headed on our drive from Phoenix to West Virginia, my voice was shaky and I told her that I hoped she would deliver more of my babies.  She gave me a long, tight hug that day.  

I got to see her this past summer when she delivered my cousin's baby boy, Aden on July 18th.  She was wonderful and talked of her anniversary that had just passed.   Dr. Moorehead was the best doctor I could have ever imagined.  I won't find another like her.  My heart is aching for her husband and three little boys, who she talked so much about.

One last thing.  Sullivan has been known to call people from my phone.  On February 28th he called her cell phone.  I am not sure if he left a message or not but he loves to say "hello."  Anyway, I saw later in the day that she called back.  I wish I would have heard my phone ring so I could have talked to her.  

As always, words fall short to properly convey how she touched my life and my family's life.  She will be so deeply missed.  

~Megan