VOL. 63 N O. 10
SPACE OBSERVER P E T E R S O N
T H U R S D AY, M A R C H 7, 2 019
You're not
alone
A I R
F O R C E
B A S E
(U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Dennis Hoffman)
PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. — Capt. Ray Reeves, 13th Air Support Operations Squadron flight commander, and Capt. Melanie Reeves, 21st Space Wing Public Affairs chief, hold their newly arrived son at their home in Colorado Springs, Colorado, Feb. 3, 2018. Prior to the birth of their son, Champ, the Reeves family suffered a miscarriage four weeks after finding out they were pregnant. Reeves hopes by sharing her story, she can reach other women who have or are going through the pain and loss of a miscarriage.
By Capt. Melanie Reeves | 21ST SPACE WING PUBLIC AFFAIRS PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. — One of Rihanna’s 2011 hits blared throughout the room as I lay on a cold, hardened steel surgical table. An anxious nurse looked down upon me. “What type of music do you like?” she asked eagerly. “Well …,” I forced out as if as a sudden urge to sleep fell over me. Trying not to be rude, I continued, “I like a lot of different types of …,” I muttered before slipping into darkness. I woke up to another nurse in the recovery room. I had just undergone a cervical dilation and curettage; aka a D&C. A medical procedure designed to remove all remaining content from my uterus after the miscarriage. Four weeks prior, I discovered I was pregnant with my first child. At the time, my husband (who is also active duty) and I were stationed apart. He was attending pre-deployment
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HUMAN WEAPON SYSTEM WITH HEALTHY FUELING PAGE 5
courses and we were unable to share the joys and fears of prospective parenthood in person. Like many first-time mothers, I was nervous as I waited in the Obstetrics and Gynecology lobby. The nerves turned to excitement once I saw a small sac on the large screen in front of me. “Your baby is in this sac right here,” the nurse said as she circled the image with the electronic cursor. “Let’s see if we can hear a heartbeat,” she said. She made small talk as she clicked more buttons on the machine. But the chatter stopped when she realized something was wrong. There wasn’t a heartbeat. As my fear intensified and maternal emotions grew exponentially, the doctor assured me this happens sometimes if the gestational week is wrong. He recommended a blood
test to check my hormone levels and scheduled another appointment the following week. My heart raced as they drew blood. I definitely felt pregnant. Nausea, extreme hunger and sleep deprivation were in full force. I was suffering from all the misery that comes along with becoming a mom-to-be. The test results were good. My hormone levels had doubled -- a good sign my baby was growing. Since my husband was on temporary duty, my superintendent accompanied me to my next OBGYN appointment. After receiving my blood test results, I was naively optimistic the week leading up to the follow-on appointment. This time the doctor took the lead and looked for signs See You’re not alone page 9
NEWS 1-11 | BRIEFS 4 | CLASSIFIED 13 | CROSSWORD 15
PETERSON WRAPS UP BLACK HISTORY MONTH WITH PLAY PAGE 7
AF WEEK IN PHOTOS PAGE 8
TEAM PETE CAREER ASSISTANCE ADVISORS VISIT THULE PAGE 12