This is the story of my birth, as recorded by my mother in a journal that she kept while she was pregnant with me. I was born in a hospital in 1978 in western Massachusetts. My mother’s ob/gyn was one of the few female doctors practicing in the field at the time, and was a pioneering advocate for natural childbirth. My mother experienced natural, vaginal births with both me and my sister. She says she does not recall ever being offered pain medications, never mind feeling any pressure from hospital staff to use anything for pain or for labor augmentation. Amazing the difference between her hospital birth experiences in 1978 and 1981 and what women today experience. I love that her opening line is “It all happened so fast.” I don’t think that her labor would be considered a fast one by today’s standards!
It all happened so fast. My shower on Friday. By then I had a weird low backache that lasted all Monday.
I saw the doctor on Monday and she said, “Anytime.” Two hours later while visiting the people at work I had a “bloody show.” Debbie and Matthew were with me and we all were excited and nervous. The blood continued through the night and at 6:30 AM on Tuesday, 1-31-78 I had started contractions.
By 1:30 that afternoon I was sure this was it and called Eddie around 2:00. We saw the doctor soon after, was sent back home to wait and then things went so fast. We left for the hospital by 7:00, got there at 7:40, water broke at 8:20, I started pushing by 9:00 and Nicole was born at 9:34 PM. A GIRL!