July 9, 1944

Dearest Gay, Part III This letter has 5 parts

In the second part of this letter I was talking to you about what happened in the delivery room. As they wheeled me down the hall they talked to me all the time. I guess they didn’t want me to go under again. About that time, the tea started coming up. I really made a fine entrance into that room. As they wheeled me in, I was vomiting. I could see the other two girls in the room up on their elbows watching me. They put the screens up between us though so they didn’t get to see the rest of the show. They piled bed clothes on me about a mile high and closed the windows. They kept asking me if I was cold, and I would say, “No,” but they would put more covers on me. They gave me intravenous in my arm and another hypo. Mom called daddy to come get her because she didn’t want to go home alone, but they finally went home at 3:30. The nurses really took good care of me. They stayed with me all the time. I found out that usually they just bring them in and leave them. In the delivery room, they told me I had a baby boy. I wasn’t even interested, but I was sure tickled to see him when they brought the babies in the morning about 5 and they showed me mine. They left the blood pressure machine on my arm all night and it got all black and blue. I told you in one of my other letters how low my blood pressure went. The doctor told mom it was just one of those unexpected things that happen. My blood pressure was so high, and all of a sudden it dropped way low. I will continue this in Part IV.

Lots of love, Your Doe.

July 9, 1944

Dearest Gay, Part IV this letter has 5 parts

In the first three parts of this letter, I have told you about myself. Now I will tell you about your son. He was born June 25, 1944 at 1:15 a.m. These are his measurements at birth. Weight- 6 lbs. 12½ oz, Length- 20¾” Head- 13½”, chest- 13”, abdomen- 12½”, temperature 98º. He lost weight—he went down to 6 lb. 1 oz., but is now back up to 6 lb. 5 oz. They always expect a baby to lose about a pound in the hospital. He has been slow about gaining but he is under the care of Dr. Wegner, and has started to gain since last Wednesday. Mom took him to the doctor yesterday. He had gained an oz. a day, which is what they are supposed to gain. I don’t have enough milk for him, so I feed him 10 to 15 minutes on the breast, then give him the bottle. That is quite a job because sometimes he’ll take the bottle, and sometimes he won’t, so naturally I worry about him. I shouldn’t, but as I get stronger I will probably get over that. A lot of people think he resembles you. I do, myself, but then sometimes he doesn’t look like anyone yet. He has my dimples and his eyes are turning dark so maybe they will be brown, but otherwise I think he looks like you. I was going to have mom take a picture of us when we came home from the hospital, but by the time I got home, I just wanted to get in bed. We’ll try to get a picture taken next week though. Tommy is supposed to go to the doctor on Tuesday. If I am strong enough, I am going too, so maybe mom can snap a picture then.

Continued, Love, your Doe + Tommy.

July 9, 1944

Part V

Dearest Gay,

This is my last sheet of V-mail, so I’ll have to wind things up for today. My hospital bill was $81.50. This is what the statement says: June 24-July 4, flat rate- $50.00, medicines- $3.00, blood plasma- $26.50, dressings- $0.50, medicine- 1.50. I have paid Dr. Harvey $60.00 of the $75.00 that it was supposed to cost me, but I think it will probably cost me more since I had the trouble I did. The baby was born on Sunday. Dr. Harvey took sick on Wednesday and was in bed in the hospital. Dr. Morgan, another specialist, is taking care of Dr. Harvey’s patients. Dr. Wegner also looked after me when I was in the hospital. I am really glad I had Dr. Harvey. I think he is a wonderful doctor. You can never tell what might have happened if I hadn’t had a specialist. Well, Butch, I guess that is all I can think of today. I will tell you about my gifts later because I don’t have the paper today. I want you to know I was really well taken care of at the hospital. On my first day, the house doctor came in to see me a couple of times. The supervisor of nurses came in several times a day to see that I was all right. She did that for about five days, and then came in once a day after I was getting along okay. I was in a room with two girls about my own age. We really had fun. I want you to know that I received the rabbit, cradle, baby clothes, and bond. They were all swell. I’m afraid we’ll have to save the clothes for our girl. They are darling. I miss you more than ever darling, and I love you more than ever. Write me often.

Lots of love and kisses from your Doe and Tommy.

P.S. My dad sure gets a big kick out of the baby. He thinks he’s “tops.”