October 9, 1976

From 1976 desk journal.

Friday, October 8  - Saturday, October 9 (written at hospital)

It was an ordinary day... work for both Brenda and I, the grocery store for her, the Pigs for both of us until eleven, then Johnny Carson ... until about 3:00 AM Saturday morning. At that time Brenda woke me up complaining of severe pains. We discussed and argued for about a half hour until her mother and I convinced her that it could  be labor (20 days early). I drove the Volvo in the front yard up to the porch to keep her out of the downpour and we went to the hospital. (2012 note - she thought that was foolish) It was labor and at 4:02 Saturday morning YANCIE WEATHERS was born. She weighed 5 lbs and 4 ozs and after some initial wrinkling she became very pretty with wisps of red hair. Brenda did all right shortly after birth but later the nurses and Doctor Benjamin had trouble expelling all the blood clots. They do this by pressing down hard on the abdomen. Brenda suffered a great deal and about 12:00 or so Sunday morning he did a modified DNC. But by that time the bleeding had stopped. At this moment I think it will be OK. I left the hospital about 1:30 after Brenda had gone off to sleep. (2012 note - we went home Sunday morning in the orange industrial van I bought from Stinker Rodgers. She and Yancie lay on old sofa in back. Yancie lay in a wicker dog basket. It was some days before Brenda could sit again.)

There is a lot more to tell - the other father in the waiting room - Brenda's long suffering - my numb anxiousness - and Yancie herself - the object of all of this. I'll write about it later. (2012 note - I didn't write again until October 30.)