4 FAITH REGIONAL
HEALTH SERVICES
An unexpected
crisis
CALM, QUICK
ACT ION MADE THE
DI FFERENCE FOR A
LOCAL COUPLE ’S
DEL I VERY
THE ARRIVAL
of a baby is
something that many couples plan
and prepare for months in advance—
reading, taking classes, and talking
with friends and family. That is ex-
actly how first-time parents Tom and
Jodi Richey, of Norfolk, approached
the arrival of their first baby. As their
due date came and went, the couple
realized that their little one was going
to need a little more help coming into
the world, so an induction was sched-
uled for the following week.
The couple arrived at 6:30 a.m. on a
Monday morning, preparing for what
they thought could be a long pro-
cess. They brought books, games and
anything they could think of to help
make it as enjoyable as possible.
“The induction process was go-
ing along very normally,” Jodi says.
“However, around mid-morning, I
started losing a lot of blood. Tom im-
mediately got the nurse, who called
the doctor in.”
A rare emergency
It was quickly determined that Jodi’s
placenta was detaching from her
uterine wall—a condition that occurs
in only about 1 percent of women
1
—
endangering Jodi and the baby. The
doctor talked to Jodi and Tom about
the need to do an emergency cesarean