My Story 26

During 1962 Trudy got pregnant, at least that is what we thought. But the entrance into motherhood did not follow normal development. At last the doctor concluded that the baby had died, and Trudy went into Misericordia Hospital for a "scraping" (D&C). It was then that they saw what really had happened. She had a "partial mole pregnancy".

I will let the doctor explain:

The formal medical term for a molar pregnancy is “hydatidiform mole.” Simply put, a molar pregnancy is an abnormality of the placenta (afterbirth), caused by a problem when the egg and sperm join together at fertilization.

A partial mole occurs when 2 sperm fertilize an egg. Instead of forming twins, something goes wrong, leading to a pregnancy with an abnormal fetus and an abnormal placenta. The baby has too many chromosomes and almost always dies in the uterus. Thus, molar pregnancies are “accidents of nature” that are not anyone’s fault.

The doctor (Doctor Blouw) took me aside and said: "After removing it we send it to the lab. If the result is negative you will have your wife back in a couple of days. If it is malignant you might as well start making arrangements for the funeral". OUCH! That was a tactless way of saying it, and it caused me some sleepless nights. Thank God, the lab tests were negative (not malignant).

There was a long follow-up, and we were told to avoid pregnancy for at least a year. Everything worked out. Two years later, in 1964 our patience was, and still is today, richly rewarded by the arrival of our son Ron. Ron was born in the old Grace Hospital on Arlington street. Right after he was born I remember going home for a rest and a sandwich. Then it dawned on me that my life was again about to change. What an enormous responsibly to support and guide the little fellow. It was 1964, July 1st, and apparently that day we were not alone in our celebrations! (Canadians celebrate Canada Day on the first of July, a national holiday!)