Three’s a Charm

It was now January and I was getting bigger with my third child and the kids at school were getting more curious about me. It was extremely awkward to be in High School with 16 and 17-year-olds, as I was 21, almost 22 when I finally wrote the exams for Biology and Physics. It was difficult, as I had missed a lot of classes because little Paul had been sick and in hospital so many times, so I just scraped by. But now I would be ready to apply for Nursing School at the local College that fall. I was due in February so I was preparing myself for yet another childbirth, but I wasn’t as worried this time, as my labour with Paul had been so easy.

One evening in February I was full of energy and had bought the ingredients to make a nice peach relish. It was late in the evening, but everything was cooking nicely and I was watching the movie “Norma Rae” on the television with my parents. The house was small so you could see the TV from the kitchen. I was busy when Paul woke up so I just scooped him up into my arms and bounced him up and down on my big belly while I cooked and watched, feeling very happy and satisfied, as I kept on working. It was getting much later but I wasn’t the least bit tired for some reason. The movie ended at 11 pm but I still had work to do, so my parents went off to bed and I stayed up to finish canning and put Paul back down.

It was about 2 am before I was able to sleep but I woke up suddenly, a couple of hours later. I wasn’t sure why at first but within a few minutes it became clear. I was in labour. I waited for a while as it was early in the morning, but Paul had arrived so quickly that I thought I’d better wake my father up and go to the hospital. By 6 am we were en route and my contractions were getting harder.

Once we arrived at the hospital and I was admitted, my father decided he’d better go back home to look after Paul before he woke up my mother. He said he’d be back to help me as soon as he could drop Paul off at the babysitter’s house. My mother was incapable of changing a diaper as she would vomit at the sight of a soiled one and so he needed to leave.

Now on my own, a nurse came to give me an enema and I refused. I explained to her that I didn’t want to give birth on a toilet but she insisted that I was far from giving birth. I disagreed! They had broken my water when I had arrived and as I sat playing solitaire in the lounge area, I glanced at the clock. Just 5 minutes later I realized that I had experienced 3 contractions and my back was beginning to hurt badly so I went back to my room to lie down. Alone and hurting, I called out to the nurses and asked them if I could have an epidural but when they examined me they told me it was too late for that. I was going to deliver in just a few minutes. My father was still not back yet, so I was by myself. They quickly transferred me onto a gurney and wheeled me into the delivery room, the big light shining in my eyes. This would be the first and last time I would do this on my own.