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By Andrea Nagel
Traveling often
carries
challenges—
especially when you’re 33 weeks
pregnant. But Erica Lucas and
her husband, Brett, had made
the journey from their home in
West Richland, Washington, to his
family’s vacation home on Hayden
Lake, Idaho, many times with no
complications. Last Labor Day was
an exception.
The weekend started like any
other. Erica and her family en-
joyed time together and got some
much-needed relaxation before
the baby was expected to arrive
mid-October. On Labor Day, Erica
felt fatigued and a little nauseated,
which seemed like normal third-
trimester symptoms.
“I was taking a shower and
started to feel really light-headed,
and I thought drinking some water
and lying down on the couch
would help me feel better,” she
said. “But the feeling didn’t go
away, and I was feeling really
nauseated—after a failed attempt
to throw up, I felt a gush of blood
and knew something was really
wrong.”
A S W I F T R E S P O N S E
Erica started to hemorrhage.
Luckily, her mother-in-law, Lynn,
is a labor and delivery nurse at
Kadlec Regional Medical Center
in Richland, and she knew exactly
how to handle the situation. Aware
that it would take too long for an
ambulance to reach the north end
of Hayden Lake, she instructed
everyone to get Erica to the car and
lay her down with her legs elevated.
“I passed out as soon as they
got me in the car, but seconds
later my husband got me to regain
consciousness by laying me down
and elevating my legs,” Erica said.
“I was able to stay conscious and
remain calm while Lynn drove us to
the emergency room.”
Once they reached the hospital,
Erica remembers being wheeled
back to the emergency department
and seeing OB-GYN Brett Penney,
M.D. He and neonatologist Kath-
leen Webb, M.D., happened to be
at the hospital when Erica arrived,
E R I C A AND BR E T T L UC A S ’ S E A R LY L A BOR
END S I N A HA P P Y B I RT H D AY
Labor
Day
BirthDay
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PREGNANCY