Giving Birth

On 4 May 1978--28 years ago--I gave birth to my first child. My first child is having a crisis because she is "so old!" I just laughed when she said she will have a breakdown when she turns 30. I told her getting older is a whole lot better than the alternative--and, besides, as her mother, I really don't feel old enough to have a 28 year old daughter and 5 grandchildren. It is all in the way you look at things.

Twenty eight years and a few days ago, I really wasn't feeling too well. The pregnancy wasn't the easiest time I had in my life. I had borderline toxemia and was put on a no/low-salt diet. This had been going on for weeks and I was sick to death of only eating salt-free bread, fruit, fresh veggies, and peanut butter. There wasn't a snack food around that I could eat and don't even get me started about how much I missed fast food! And besides all that, I looked like I was smuggling an over-inflated beach ball under my shirt. And I was puffy from retaining water, too. None of that "pregnancy glow" that you see on other women. I was fat, bloated, had high blood pressure, was cranky and irritable, and still had three weeks before the "blessed event" was to take place. I felt as if I had been pregnant for the better part of three years and was not happy about it.

Sometime around the first of May, I had started to feel like I was experiencing contractions. Well, I asked other women about it, called my doctor's office, etc., and everyone told me it wasn't time. Okay, fine. I wasn't feeling too much like I was in labor and there wasn't any rhyme or reason to the pains, so I ignored how I was feeling. I kept getting these pains off and on for the next few days. On May 4, I had a morning appointment at the doctor's office and told the nurse what was going on. Her take on the whole thing? "Oh, well, you might be starting labor, but then you might not. We'll see you for your next appointment on Monday."

For the rest of the day I tried to relax and forget about the pains. I tried timing them and they weren't getting any closer and weren't getting regular. I figured it was just another one of those things they forgot to tell us about in birthing classes. After all, the way it was explained to us was this: you begin labor pains, they increasingly get stronger, your water breaks, you go to the hospital, you give birth. Simple. I sat around all day waiting for my water to break.

Around 6:00 PM, I finally got K up--he had been on midnight shift the night before and was still sleeping. I told him that I really felt lousy and he should call the hospital. When he explained to the nurse what was going on, she kind of dismissed it, but told us to come in and they would check me, but I probably would just have to turn around and go right back home. All this time I was getting stronger pains, but still didn't think I was in labor because my water hadn't broken. So, off we went to the hospital. Because we didn't think there was anything going on, we took the long route to get there--just sightseeing along the way.

Several times at home and in the car I felt an intense pressure making me feel as if I had to go to the bathroom. I also experienced the same in the vestibule of the hospital. Again, I didn't think anything of it. We finally got to the OB floor and the nurse took us into a room so I could be examined. They all took their sweet time getting me ready and they had the unit clerk come in to get my information, etc. Everything was very leisurely and calm. Then the nurse examined me. Her face went white. She yelled out to the first person who walked by the room, "Get the doctor here, STAT! She's dilated 10! She's about to deliver!"

Things started to get hectic. I don't remember much of what went on. I was in full labor, about to drop my kid, and I was told I couldn't do anything about it until the doctor got to the hospital. Oh, yay. They got me into a gown and to the delivery room. (This was back in the days before you had birthing suites.) I was put on the delivery table, strapped down, had an IV inserted, and had to wait until the doctor showed up. He barely walked into the room, gave me my epidural and held out his hands to catch my 5 pound little girl. From the moment I arrived at the hospital till I gave birth to C, 45 minutes had passed. I cut it a little close.