well...Virginia does have some decency left!?!

Well, I was reading random blogs the other day...and I saw a post about something called: Certificate of Birth Resulting in Stillbirth. So I researched it, finding out that only certain states offer this.
So I went to Virginia Department of Health website and found out that Virginia offers this certificate. YAY!!! All I have to do is send a letter requesting it, with Lilly's name,my name, Clif's name, the day she was born, and the hospital she was born in. A copy of my DL, and a check for $12.00.
I can't tell you how happy it makes me to know that Virginia is actually going to recognize that my baby existed. No, they are not going to recognize that she did live (inside me), but at least the are going to say...hey! Lillian Joy Smith was a human being!
Since on the subject, well kind of... I just want to tell you all about my hospital. RMH. Absolutely amazing people there. First off, they were all SO sweet, even before we found out that Lilly had passed. Then after the fact, they didn't change at all in the way they acted toward Clif and me. Which really mean a lot. They treated with the utmost respect... and honored my baby in every possible way.
As I have said before, I decided to have a c-section when I found out that Lilly was gone (which by the way, I have healed really really well...now just waiting to get the pigment back so my scar isn't bright pink anymore. =) After Lillian was born, they took her to the nursery to bathe her. We had decided we didn't want to see her right away, which worked out good anyways, because I was OUT cold the whole entire surgery. They brushed her hair, put a diaper on her...and dressed her in her "Little Dolly" dress that was a gift from my parents. When she came to my room, she looked amazing...still had color in her cheeks. Beautiful...absolutely beautiful.
Before bringing her to my room, they put her in the white tshirt and hat that I guess is pretty much what every hospital does. They took pictures, anywhere from 60-65 picture of her in her tshirt, in her dress...pictures of her wearing a gold ring that they gave her, pictures of her holding daddy's wedding band (I didn't have mine...I had to take them off because of swelling LONG before then). Pictures of her with stuffed animals...ect. They took a clipping of her beautiful brown hair...they made a "birth certificate" complete with her name, our names, her time of birth, weight, length...and her footprints. Since she was born "sleeping" we didn't get a real birth certificate or death certificate. So that really meant a lot to me. They also made us a disc of all the pictures they took of her, gave me a certificate of blessing...even made some prints of pictures for us. They put it all in a white cloth envelope/bag and gave it to us a few hours after she was born.
I had nurses that visited me that weren't even my nurses. They all hugged me, cried with me... and the one thing they all kept telling me was that my baby was beautiful. Exactly what every mother wants to hear!!
Now, my doctor. I am sure that I have mentioned him before (at least I think so), but I just can't talk about him enough. So here goes....
Dr.G. He is absolutely AMAZING. A wonderful man, and an even better doctor. Yes, we might could have made different decisions during my pregnancy, but I think it would have all ended in the same way. So I don't blame him in the least. I can't even begin to express to you how Doctor G felt. I mean, I don't even know how he felt exactly...but I know he blamed himself. When he told us what we already knew, that there wasn't a heartbeat, he sobbed (literally) right along with us.
He made up excuses to come see me in recovery (said he had to come get his coat....when he came down wearing it...haha), and just made up other excuses just to come and check on me. *smile* He came to the hospital to check in on me every day that I was there, and he spent no less than 20-30 minutes each time.
The day after I had my staples removed, he called my hubby to check on me. How many doctors do you know that actually make calls themselves? Especially when the patient didn't call him. Dr G told me before I left the hospital that he was in the local phone book, and that he was the only one in there that spelled his name the way he does. And if I needed him, to call day or night.
He kept telling me over and over again that he was so sorry, and that he would watch me better the next time. Take me out of work sooner, put me on meds for my blood pressure, and that no matter what...the next time, the baby would be born at 38 weeks...at the latest.
Just to know that he cares for Clif and me...that he really,truly, genuinely cares for us...means SO much! And I have to add that Dr G told me after Lilly was born, that in all honesty most babies are not cute by a long stretch...at least when they are first born. But he told me that Lilly was truly a beautiful baby! *big grin* We did good.
Until I became pregnant...I had been to the doctor maybe 5-8 times in my whole life. I've never been sick, never even had an ear infection when I was little!!! And now, this may sound crazy, but I'm sad that I'm not going to the doctor ever 1,2,4 weeks. *laughs* Is that weird? And I don't say that because I am sad that I'm not pregnant (tho I do miss being preggo like crazy), but because I don't get to see my doctor! I wish he was my family practitioner too! =) That's how much I think of this man. I would recommend him to any female I know. He truly is a gift from God, for at least Clif and I.
I am so looking forward to the middle of March when I get to go and see him again, and start back all of my meds. Again, I know...sounds crazy. But I am very excited.
I am so amazed that before Lilly was even conceived that God already knew the path that her life would be one. And what a wonderful path, right out of Mommy's tummy....straight into the arms of her loving Saviour.

~ God is good all the time, all the time God is good ~