TheFranciscos.Net

Childbirth Revisited

Last month, I spent my time in Mercy Hospital delivering several babies. It was a very rewarding experience, professionally and spiritually. Just watching moms and dads receive their newborns with such anticipation, joy, tears, love. It’s amazing. I felt that I had a role in bringing these families together and it was a good feeling.

It takes all kinds of people to make a family though. There are the funny husbands who “push” with their wives during the labor, while holding their hands. Very sympathetic, I should say. There are the men who turn white at the sight of blood. I get kind of worried that they’ll fall into our sterile field. There are the ones who are just so overjoyed with their baby that they forget their wives at the delivery room and rush out to tell family members that they just had a boy. Family issues also crop up, as to which family members can not be together in the same room at the same time, complicating the whole labor process. (!) As I said it takes all kinds.

My experiences last month bring me back to when I had my daughter 2 years ago. I felt my contractions at 6 am. I wasn’t sure if they’re labor pains at that point so I was lying in bed, timing my contractions. Edu woke up to go to work and was surprised to see me already awake. (I was a housewife then and I had the luxury of sleeping 12 hours a day and it was very unusual that I was first to wake up). He had this scared/happy expression on his face. “Is is time?”, he asked. I told him that I was sort of in labor. He didn’t go to work because he didn’t want to miss anything. My mom was staying with us during that time and it was a great feeling that I had her there for support.

I forget whose idea it was (probably mine) to go to the mall. Unbelievable as it may sound, I was in labor and I went to the mall to walk around a bit. The sales manager in the Paul Harris store noticed that I was hunched over a display of dresses, timing my contractions. She walked over to me and asked me if I was in labor. When I answered in the affirmative, she laughingly told me to get out of the store before ruining her carpet. We chatted pleasantly for a while about her own childbirth experiences.

After a few hours in the mall, we went home and relaxed a bit (as much as I could in between those horrid contractions!). When they became unbearable, I told Edu that it was time! We rushed to the car (in my case, I waddled to the car) and drove thru a familiar route. The hospital in view, we turned right into the street of the emergency room of Bryn Mawr Hospital. We were right there in that street but somehow Edu missed the driveway into the emergency room. We did a u-turn and he missed it again! This happened 4 times!!! I was in so much pain already I couldn’t complain or laugh, which would have been my natural reaction.

Anyway, we made it in good time. At 6 pm, I was in my room, 6 cm dilated, but I had a good way to go! I had my epidural at that point, which slowed me down considerably because I couldn’t feel my contractions even when it was time to push already! After 6 hours of labor (with 4 hours of pushing!), I got my Zoe!

I felt relieved, excited, and just overwhelmed when I first held her. It was this onrush of love for the baby I’ve nurtured for nine months. She was just perfect!

*Edu, I think, has a totally different story about that time, especially about the part when he missed the entrance to the emergency room. He also saw Zoe when she was a bit on the purple side before she cried. I’m guessing that he probably turned pale for a while there.*

In case you’re wondering, this is not a prelude to an announcement that I’m expecting another baby. I may be getting sentimental in my old age but the old cliche comes to mind. The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak!