Nurses throw a hospital wedding hours before premature birth
The Maternal and Child Health team at Northern Westchester Hospital in Mount Kisco were honored on Thursday for making a bride’s dreams come true — just hours before she gave birth.
When Nora Regis Odland’s water broke at 33 weeks, she and her groomto-be, Michael Odland, were told that she’d need an emergency Cesarean section to deliver their baby.
The expectant couple were planning to be married in early May. And staying on schedule was important — they “wanted to be married before the baby arrived,” a press release from Northern Westchester Hospital said.
The couple asked if anyone was available to marry them. But a chaplain was not available because it was late at night.
That didn’t stop the Northern Westchester Hospital nursing staff.
With Nora’s delivery time fast approaching, nurses tapped into their network of first responders, reaching out to Westchester County Police and Westchester Emergency Medical Services. The search paid off — Michael “Rev” Revenson, an EMS paramedic, was also a nondenominational minister/officiant and could be at the hospital “within minutes.”
Soon, the nursing staff would make up a bouquet of flowers, a flowered tiara and a veil (made of gauze) for the bride. Night nurse Valerie Goodwin, who lead the way for the team, became Nora’s matron of honor.
“Needless to say, the couple and the bride’s mother, who was also there, were extremely happy,” Northern Westchester Hospital said in the press release.
An announcement inviting the entire hospital staff rung through the halls: “If they wanted to come to a wedding, meet at (Labor and Delivery).”
Nora and Michael’s baby, Reggie, born at 33 weeks, was in level III NICU as of May 5 and is “doing great,” the hospital said.