Cynthia Kallay wanted nothing more than a modest ceremony at the county courthouse. But her unborn baby daughter had other plans.
Then, after spending nearly a decade together, the couple got an unexpected Christmas surprise: Cynthia was going to have a baby. That’s when the two decided to get hitched. Cynthia, a patient care assistant at Memorial Hermann Southeast Hospital, wanted nothing more than a modest ceremony at the county courthouse. No flowers, no cake. Just a nice dress, a pair of rings and a few loved ones to help them celebrate the special day.
But their unborn baby daughter had other plans.
The morning of her wedding day, Cynthia’s water broke at home, nearly a month before her due date. She and her fiancée, D’Angelo “Trey” Doughty rushed to Memorial Hermann Memorial City Medical Center where it was confirmed that Cynthia’s labor was well underway.
“I jokingly told my nurse that I needed to run to the courthouse quickly to get married because today was supposed to be our wedding day,” Cynthia said. “I had no idea that that they would actually try to recreate my special day right here in the hospital.”
Cynthia may not have planned for a traditional ceremony, but Cynthia’s nurse and chief wedding planner, Amber Kyler, RN, along with the rest of her L&D care team at Memorial Hermann Memorial City Medical Center sprang into action on Cynthia’s behalf, pulling together all the necessities for the impromptu nuptials.
“I was determined to make sure she had the best wedding ever!” Amber said.
The entire L&D team on duty that day helped coordinate the surprise, including: Morgan Thigpin, Amie Strech, Anthrenette Daniel, Andrea Alonzo, Brenda Shook, Crystal Lockhart, Chelsea Taft, Jennifer Rocha, Hanna Buchanan, Rebecca Marchan, Shana Randle and Verna Deans.
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As Cynthia rested in bed hooked to an IV with oxytocin, a drug used to induce labor, the nursing team worked to secure a bouquet of pink flowers and a white wedding cake with “Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Doughty” scrawled in red icing. They called chaplain Ephapharus Kaburu to Cynthia’s birthing suite and brightened up her patient-gown-turned-wedding-dress with a snipped yellow tulip tucked behind her ear.
Before the ceremony began, one nurse asked Cynthia if she had a preference for the wedding music.
“I hadn’t thought about it,” Cynthia said with a laugh. “So I just told her to pick whatever she had at her wedding.”
As D’Angelo stood at Cynthia’s bedside, surrounded by family, friends and Cynthia’s 12-year-old daughter Kamayah, Cynthia’s contractions intensified to every three minutes. Her nurse stood to the side anxiously watching the dips and spikes on a monitor measuring Cynthia’s contractions, but Cynthia kept a wide grin as she exchanged vows with D’Angelo even as her labor pains worsened.
“Afterward, my nurse told me, ‘I can’t believe you smiled throughout the whole thing,’” Cynthia said. “Actually, I thought it was a pretty good distraction.”
Two hours after Cynthia and D’Angelo said, “I do,” baby Kadence made her arrival, weighing just 5 pounds 4 ounces and sporting a full head of hair. The family is home now, growing accustomed to their new existence with a newborn in the house. Cynthia is planning to spend the next several weeks on maternity leave with Kadence before returning to work in the hospital’s Medical Surgical Unit.
“This year has really been a whirlwind for our family, but I’m so grateful for everything that has happened,” she said. “God works in mysterious ways.”
Author- MH Hospital marketing person