Good Bye St. Joe....

I watched with interest, and a little sadness, as the big St. Joe hospital building finally came down today. I have some very happy memories of that hospital.  In 1971 I decided that my first child would be born there.  It was somewhat convenient, only about 25 minutes from where we lived at that time on the south side of Fort Wayne.  But the real reason I chose it was because at that time St. Joe was the only hospital in Fort Wayne that had Rooming In, a really novel idea at the time,  I had a private room which baby Tommy shared with me 24/7.  My husband was the only visitor allowed during that time.  It was such a great experience.  I knew very little about caring for babies but I learned a lot during those five days (yes, they kept us longer back then).  One particularly memorable lesson, that a young nurse and I learned together, is that when you're changing a baby boy's diaper, it's a good idea to have a spare diaper handy to cover anything unexpected.  That little guy sent up a spray that reached the ceiling.  Needless to say, when my daughter was due in 1973, it was back to St. Joe, again for the Rooming In.  Sweet memories indeed.