| Biographical Non-Fiction posted April 6, 2024 | Chapters: |
...6 7 -8- 9... 
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Preeclampsia, formerly called toxemia
A chapter in the book At Home in Mississippi
Postpartum Crisis
by BethShelby
It was two in the morning on September 11, before the doctor and his nurse finally left the Weir home after I had become a part of the world outside the womb. Lucille was exhausted, and I’m sure I was as well. Before she dropped off with me cuddled next to her, she told the doctor my official name so he could fill out the necessary paperwork.
“Her name will be Verna Elizabeth Weir,” she told him. “Glover’s mother lost her first baby named Elizabeth. My mother's first child was named Verna Christine. This way, she has names from both sides of the family. We will call her Beth. She looks like a ‘Beth’ to me.”
“I think she looks a whole lot like her daddy with that round face,” the nurse said. “I do believe she’s got more hair on her head than he has though. I’ve never seen so much black hair on a baby.”
As soon as the doctor and nurse had gathered their birthing tools and left, Annie Jane woke Lucille who had drifted off again. “Lucille, let me take the baby and put her over in the basket. You’re liable to roll over on her. She’ll probably sleep the rest of the night. I’ll try to get a little sleep over here in this rocking chair. If she wakes up, I’ll take care of her. Glover said he will be going into work late tomorrow. We all need to get some rest.”
Glover didn’t try holding the baby until the next evening, and then it was only briefly. He had never held a baby before, and in spite of this one weighing 10 lbs., she looked tiny and fragile to him. He was thankful he’d only heard her cry out once. Those were her first sounds right after she was born. He was pretty sure his nerves wouldn’t be able to take too much of that noise.
Lucille was using the double bed in the front bedroom for now, and they had set up a small single bed in the room for Annie Jane. By getting his sleep in the back bedroom he was able to stay out of the way while his wife recovered after having given birth.
Glover’s mother had insisted he come there for his meals until Lucille was up and around again. “Miss Annie’s going to have her hand’s full taking care of Lucille and the baby for a few days, so you’ll need to plan to come over here and eat with us. Several of the neighbors have taken some food over there for them to eat, so she won’t have to cook.”
Glover was relieved. He didn’t want to be away from home any more than he had to be with his job, because he felt like he was expected to be getting acquainted with his baby daughter. Still, it would be awkward having Mrs. Lay cook for him and trying to figure out what to say to her.
Annie Jane had grown up with her mother acting as the community doctor and mid-wife. Annie was trying to take care of Lucille in the same way her mother had taken care of her patients. She was convinced that a new mother should remain in bed for two weeks.
After a day or two, Lucille wanted to be up. She insisted on sitting in the rocking chair while the new baby nursed. She had checked all the tiny fingers and toes and examined her baby from head to toe, and declared her to be perfect.
On the third day, something went terribly wrong. Lucille got a blinding headache, and she felt her body start to go numb. The sensation started with her feet. It felt as though her feet were in a pan of hot water. “Mama! Come quick. Something is happening to me. I think I may be having a stroke.”
Fortunately, she was sitting on the edge of the bed. Annie pulled her feet back up and insisted that she lay back down. Glover was at work and Annie wasn’t sure what she needed to do for her daughter, but she acted on instinct. “Lay down, Lucille, and try not to move. I’m going to run to the kitchen and get a towel and some pans of hot and cold water. I’ll try to rub the circulation back into your feet."
“Hurry Mama, it is working its way up my body. It feels like the numbness has gone past my knees. I can’t move my legs anymore.”
By the time Annie returned with the towels and water, Lucille was in full panic mode and was crying. “Mama, I think I’m dying. It's already past my stomach, and now my arms are paralyzed. When it gets to my chest, my heart will be paralyzed, and I’ll be dead. What’s going to happen to my baby. She needs me. Glover won’t know what to do.”
“Hush, Lucille, you’re not dying. If you do, I’ll raise her myself. I’ve raised enough babies. You need to calm down. You’re going to give yourself a stroke. Sometimes women get some kind of a birth poison after they have a baby. Most of the time they don’t die. Shut up and be still, and let me rub you.”
Annie began rubbing her daughter all over vigorously alternating between the pans of hot and cold water. Lucille tried to speak again but now her speech was slurred and her vision was blurred. Annie was trembling and praying but she never let up with the hard rubbing. It felt as though her arms were too tired to move, but she forced herself to keep going. Slowly, Lucille started to relax.
“Mama, I think I’m getting a little better. I can move my arms again. You may have saved my life, but we probably need to get the doctor out here. Do you think you could walk over the hill and get someone to call Glover. Have him see if he can get the doctor to come out here again.”
“Yes, just lay still, I’ll be back as soon as I can,” she said as she headed toward the door. The baby had slept through the whole episode.
Dr. Simmons made another home visit and diagnosed her with toxemia. Her blood pressure was extremely elevated. He gave her a pill and told her she needed to drink more water and eliminate salt from her diet. “You have too much protein in your urine. If you drink more water, it will help get rid of it.”
He said Annie’s massage and water treatment wasn’t something he had ever tried, but it had likely relaxed her and helped to lower her blood pressure.
By the end of the week, the crisis had passed. Lucille had started to feel more like she would live to raise this baby after all.
Glover Weir - My father
Lucille Lay Weir - My mother
Anne Jane Davis Lay -My maternal grandmother, recently widowed.
Ebb Weir - Glover's father -My maternal grandfather
Alma Simmons Weir - Glover's mother and my paternal grandmother and wife of Ebb.
Dr. Omar Simmons Newton doctor The doctor is not related although he has the same last name.
New Infant - Me
It was two in the morning on September 11, before the doctor and his nurse finally left the Weir home after I had become a part of the world outside the womb. Lucille was exhausted, and I’m sure I was as well. Before she dropped off with me cuddled next to her, she told the doctor my official name so he could fill out the necessary paperwork.
“Her name will be Verna Elizabeth Weir,” she told him. “Glover’s mother lost her first baby named Elizabeth. My mother's first child was named Verna Christine. This way, she has names from both sides of the family. We will call her Beth. She looks like a ‘Beth’ to me.”
“I think she looks a whole lot like her daddy with that round face,” the nurse said. “I do believe she’s got more hair on her head than he has though. I’ve never seen so much black hair on a baby.”
As soon as the doctor and nurse had gathered their birthing tools and left, Annie Jane woke Lucille who had drifted off again. “Lucille, let me take the baby and put her over in the basket. You’re liable to roll over on her. She’ll probably sleep the rest of the night. I’ll try to get a little sleep over here in this rocking chair. If she wakes up, I’ll take care of her. Glover said he will be going into work late tomorrow. We all need to get some rest.”
Glover didn’t try holding the baby until the next evening, and then it was only briefly. He had never held a baby before, and in spite of this one weighing 10 lbs., she looked tiny and fragile to him. He was thankful he’d only heard her cry out once. Those were her first sounds right after she was born. He was pretty sure his nerves wouldn’t be able to take too much of that noise.
Lucille was using the double bed in the front bedroom for now, and they had set up a small single bed in the room for Annie Jane. By getting his sleep in the back bedroom he was able to stay out of the way while his wife recovered after having given birth.
Glover’s mother had insisted he come there for his meals until Lucille was up and around again. “Miss Annie’s going to have her hand’s full taking care of Lucille and the baby for a few days, so you’ll need to plan to come over here and eat with us. Several of the neighbors have taken some food over there for them to eat, so she won’t have to cook.”
Glover was relieved. He didn’t want to be away from home any more than he had to be with his job, because he felt like he was expected to be getting acquainted with his baby daughter. Still, it would be awkward having Mrs. Lay cook for him and trying to figure out what to say to her.
Annie Jane had grown up with her mother acting as the community doctor and mid-wife. Annie was trying to take care of Lucille in the same way her mother had taken care of her patients. She was convinced that a new mother should remain in bed for two weeks.
After a day or two, Lucille wanted to be up. She insisted on sitting in the rocking chair while the new baby nursed. She had checked all the tiny fingers and toes and examined her baby from head to toe, and declared her to be perfect.
On the third day, something went terribly wrong. Lucille got a blinding headache, and she felt her body start to go numb. The sensation started with her feet. It felt as though her feet were in a pan of hot water. “Mama! Come quick. Something is happening to me. I think I may be having a stroke.”
Fortunately, she was sitting on the edge of the bed. Annie pulled her feet back up and insisted that she lay back down. Glover was at work and Annie wasn’t sure what she needed to do for her daughter, but she acted on instinct. “Lay down, Lucille, and try not to move. I’m going to run to the kitchen and get a towel and some pans of hot and cold water. I’ll try to rub the circulation back into your feet."
“Hurry Mama, it is working its way up my body. It feels like the numbness has gone past my knees. I can’t move my legs anymore.”
By the time Annie returned with the towels and water, Lucille was in full panic mode and was crying. “Mama, I think I’m dying. It's already past my stomach, and now my arms are paralyzed. When it gets to my chest, my heart will be paralyzed, and I’ll be dead. What’s going to happen to my baby. She needs me. Glover won’t know what to do.”
“Hush, Lucille, you’re not dying. If you do, I’ll raise her myself. I’ve raised enough babies. You need to calm down. You’re going to give yourself a stroke. Sometimes women get some kind of a birth poison after they have a baby. Most of the time they don’t die. Shut up and be still, and let me rub you.”
Annie began rubbing her daughter all over vigorously alternating between the pans of hot and cold water. Lucille tried to speak again but now her speech was slurred and her vision was blurred. Annie was trembling and praying but she never let up with the hard rubbing. It felt as though her arms were too tired to move, but she forced herself to keep going. Slowly, Lucille started to relax.
“Mama, I think I’m getting a little better. I can move my arms again. You may have saved my life, but we probably need to get the doctor out here. Do you think you could walk over the hill and get someone to call Glover. Have him see if he can get the doctor to come out here again.”
“Yes, just lay still, I’ll be back as soon as I can,” she said as she headed toward the door. The baby had slept through the whole episode.
Dr. Simmons made another home visit and diagnosed her with toxemia. Her blood pressure was extremely elevated. He gave her a pill and told her she needed to drink more water and eliminate salt from her diet. “You have too much protein in your urine. If you drink more water, it will help get rid of it.”
He said Annie’s massage and water treatment wasn’t something he had ever tried, but it had likely relaxed her and helped to lower her blood pressure.
By the end of the week, the crisis had passed. Lucille had started to feel more like she would live to raise this baby after all.
Glover Weir - My father
Lucille Lay Weir - My mother
Anne Jane Davis Lay -My maternal grandmother, recently widowed.
Ebb Weir - Glover's father -My maternal grandfather
Alma Simmons Weir - Glover's mother and my paternal grandmother and wife of Ebb.
Dr. Omar Simmons Newton doctor The doctor is not related although he has the same last name.
New Infant - Me
 Recognized |
The time is Fall of 1937 in Newton, MIssissippi. This chapter is about my birth and family.
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