Memories

From about the 6th of November through the 11th, every year, I do a lot remembering. Why, you ask?

Well, because my due date to deliver my baby was November 6th. It was a Thursday and I didn't want to deliver on that date. I wanted to deliver on November 11th because it was a Tuesday. I was born on a Tuesday, I conceived on a Tuesday so Tuesday had to be the date. My then husband wanted November 10th, the Marine Corp birthday (he's a Marine).

Labor pains began sometime on the Saturday. They weren't very intense and in fact, I don't think I really knew what they were. My mother had come to stay and help me. It had been so long ago for her, she didn't remember what labor pains were like. Then on Sunday the pains became stronger and more intense. My neighbor and dear friend came over and we started to time the pains. They subsided and I felt okay. Mom had fixed a fantastic dinner of shoyu chicken. It was so good. The pains started up again, a bit stronger and were close together.

We lived 6 blocks from the hospital. I had been in contact with my doctor and I called him again about 9 pm that night. He told me to go to the hospital and he would meet me there. I was checked and unfortunately, the pains had stopped. They decided to go ahead and admit me. I heard one nurse saying "she seems very frightened, let's just keep her and see what happens". The pains were off and on through the night.

The next morning after my doctor saw me, he told me that if I wasn't in active labor by lunch time, they were going to induce labor. That was started after lunch. Labor began in earnest, however nothing was happening. I wasn't progressing. The doctor was quite concerned when he checked on me that evening.

Finally, about midnight when nothing had changed, the doctor decided to do a C-section. I had in labor some 30 plus hours. He had told me early in my pregnancy that if my baby was more than 7 lbs, I may have problems. I had a very narrow cervix and he wasn't sure I would be able to have a natural delivery. I took fertility pills (Clomid) to conceive. I was the first patient in North San Diego County to take the drug. I also had to have a hormone shot each month so I wouldn't miscarry. Towards the end of my pregnancy I had a shot weekly. Sometimes I had to have two shots because my backside was so punctured, the serum would just run out. So I was a high risk patient.

So finally, at 2:47 am on November 11th, a Tuesday, I delivered by C-section my beautiful daughter.

This was 40 years ago.