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Welcome to the world!

Anthony David Berky

Anthony David was born at 1:29am on October 25th 2001 in Provo, Utah.

He weighed in at 8 lbs. and 5 ounces and is 21.5 inches long.

Mommy, LaReita, labored about 5 hours. After a tiresome first day and a restful second night mommy and baby came home. LaReita is feeling good (relatively speaking) and was anxious to leave the hospital where they kept waking her up to ask her if she was doing well. (“I’d be doing a lot better if you would quit waking me up every two hours!”)

Pictures of the new arrival:

(James only smiles after the picture is taken.)

Madeline Sage Berky – October 4th, 2001

The Birth Of Anthony David Beky

The baby was due on October 24th. At the doctor’s appointment one-week prior, Dr. Nance told LaReita and David that it was unlikely that the baby would come that week.

At the appointment the week of the due date, Dr. Nance gave LaReita and David their options. He said that they could wait it out or start the induction process. They decided to go with the induction. Dr. Nance instructed them to report to the Utah Valley Regional Medical Center in Provo the next day (Wednesday) to begin the medicine that would help with the birth process.

At 3:00 the next day David & LaReita went to the hospital for the first treatment in the induction process. While they were there, another nurse came to get medical information and blood samples for a new life insurance policy. It worked out well to have the additional medical procedures right there in the hospital.

LaReita and David left the hospital and stopped at TacoTime in Spanish Fork to pick up some dinner. They ate around 7:00. They were due to return to the hospital at 10:00 for the second treatment. LaReita was scheduled to be admitted the next day when they expected the birth to occur.

But about 8:00, LaReita started feeling strong contractions. At 8:30 she looked over at David and announced that they were going “right now!”

Her contractions were coming at about a minute apart and they were strong. So they raced to the hospital hoping the cover of their old highway patrol car would keep the real highway troopers from giving them a ticket. They parked in front of the hospital, grabbed a wheelchair and raced to the elevators.

Once on the fifth floor they informed the nurse on duty that LaReita had been in earlier for the induction medicine and she was having strong, frequent contractions. They took LaReita into the assessment room where she dressed in the drafty hospital gown and laid down to wait for the nurse.

They were in the room for about a half an hour with LaReita suffering from the frequent contractions when the nurse came in for the assessment. LaReita was dilated to 3cm. They hooked her up to the monitors and kept them in the room for another half-hour when they checked here again. This time she had progressed to 6cm.

Things were really moving. That set off a panic and they quickly bundled her up in the bed and rushed here to a delivery room. It was just like a scene out of the TV show ER (which they had been watching religiously over the past year).

Once in the delivery room, LaReita was transferred to a new bed and the anesthesiologist came in and quickly became LaReita’s new best friend. Once LaReita was properly drugged up. David left to move the car from the front of the hospital to the parking lot.

When he returned, LaReita was resting. After all that rushing around, LaReita took a 2-hour nap. Here nap was timely as it allowed her to rest for the big event which began around 11:30.

The nurse came in to check her and insert the catheter but as she started to check LaReita, she excitedly announced that there was no need for the catheter, it was time to have the baby.

The nurse reconfigured the bed for delivery and LaReita got ready to push. Additional nurses came in and brought the baby-warmer and necessary supplies. LaReita began to push as they called Dr. Nance who, fortunately, was already in the hospital for another delivery.

LaReita pushed for about an hour and a half when Dr. Nance arrived. The baby’s head was already visible and it was just a matter of a few more strong pushes. This was nothing like the 18-hour ordeal with James, her first.

After a few more strong pushes a little baby boy emerged. He had lots of laconium (baby’s first poop) so the nurses had to take extra time and care to get him all cleaned up. He had some fluid in his lungs that took some time to get cleared. It was a nervous time as five or six nurses worked on the new baby, cleaning him and caring for him.

LaReita was getting a bit nervous about all the busy activity around her new baby but David stood where he could see both LaReita and the baby and gave her updates on what they were doing.

After about 15 minutes of frenzied activity, the nurses wrapped the new baby in his first blanket and laid him in his mom’s arms. Tears flowed down LaReita’s face and even David wiped away a tear or two as they welcomed their new son into the world.

“It’s nice to meet you Anthony,” were LaReita’s first words to her newborn son.

LaReita and David took turns holding Anthony for about 10 minutes and then David carried him down to the fourth floor nursery where he was weighed, 8 lbs. 5 oz, measured, 21.5 inches, and given his first bath and a blood test.

After about 2 hours of poking and prodding David was allowed to hold Anthony in a rocking chair as Anthony took his first nap. After about an our of holding Anthony, a nurse came in and they placed Anthony into the mobile crib and took him to LaReita’s new recovery room on the fourth floor.

LaReita immediately took Anthony and started to teach him how to eat. It took a little time for him to catch on, but when he did, he ate hungrily.

David spent rest of the night with LaReita and Anthony in the room sleeping on a fold out chair/bed. Nurses came in ever two hours to check on LaReita and Anthony.

Around 8:00 they brought LaReita some breakfast and she got up to stretch her legs and go to the bathroom. She was surprisingly mobile and feeling well for having just gone through the ordeal of birth.

Family started arriving around 10:00 as Julie brought James to meet his new brother. James was a bit timid at first but soon warmed up to his brother and asked repeatedly if he could hold him.

LaMont and Kris arrived with Holly to drop off a few things and see their new nephew. Lynette, Karalyn and Brynn also paid a visit.

LaReita was ready to leave at 6:00pm but the nurses recommend that she stay another night so they could monitor and she could rest. Some rest, they still woke her up every two hours to check on her and Anthony.

The next morning David and LaReita brought Anthony David Berky to his new home in Spanish Fork, Utah and his new big brother James.