Surprise & Trip to Fiji

In 1989, I became pregnant. It was a total surprise because I was on the birth control pill. I had recently seen a dermatologist for some skin issues, and he prescribed some medication. He did not tell me that it could weaken the effects of the birth control pill. I was shocked when the pharmacist told me I was pregnant. I told her it was impossible, but then she checked my file, noticed what medication I was on, and explained this to me. My son was 4, and my daughter was 6, meaning they would be 5 and 7 when the baby was born. I was due in July of 1990. We had given away all our baby stuff because we did not expect to have another baby.  We had also just renovated the basement and removed our extra room. My first thought was that we would have to move!

In November 1989, David won a trip to Fiji with Honda. I was only a month pregnant, but I wanted to go. It was another trip that we would probably never do on our own. It was only a 5-day trip, and it took at least 12 hours to get there. The weather was amazing, and the people were so friendly. One day, David and I decided to go out on a small sailboat and, with very little instruction, then sailed us off alone. It was a very hot day, and we were unprepared for what would happen. When we were far from the hotel, the wind died, and we just sat on this little dinky sailboat in the middle of the ocean. Our bodies were only about a foot off the water, and all I could imagine was a hungry shark snatching me up. We had no water or sunscreen, and I was feeling the nausea of the pregnancy. I was so relieved when the sail finally caught some wind, and we made sure not to lose it.

The following day, I was not feeling so great. Maybe it was a bit of sunstroke or something I ate the evening before. Still, we decided to take a cab to the local medical clinic to ensure I was okay. The clinic was in Nadi, and it was a very small place. The doctor was very nice and prescribed some medication.

I didn’t trust him because we saw his diploma was from correspondence with the University of Regina, Saskatchewan. When I returned to the hotel, I called my doctor to ensure I could take what he had prescribed, and she said it was okay. Luckily, the medication started working quickly, and I could enjoy the rest of my vacation.