My memories of pregnancy, labor, and delivery with Mickey

I decided shortly after graduating high school I wanted a baby. Tim was not in agreement. I begged for months and finally he reluctantly agreed but stated that he would not be changing any diapers or baby sitting. I agreed! Little did I know he meant it. I did not care! I wanted a baby. My pregnancy was for the most part uneventful. I felt "blah" for the first 3 months but not nauseated or anything else. I took prenatal vitamins. Back then Daddies-to-be had to wait in the waiting room and the mama-to-be had to labor alone with a nurse. There was one exception. If you attended a class one day a week for 6 weeks your husband could attend the labor and delivery to "coach" the wife. Tim and I completed these classes. Mickey was due on November 14th but in the early 80's they did not induce or do a c-section unless the baby was in distress. We made several trips to the emergency room with "false labor" as they called it back then. Finally, my water started leaking on the 16th early in the morning. I called the doctor and went to the emergency room. I was so happy to be admitted finally. I was not hurting and only dilated 2cm. They let me walk the halls for a couple of hours then my water completely broke and I was bed bound, strapped to the monitors and nothing to eat. I was in a labor ward which was 4 beds in one room with a curtain between. I was having cramps but not real labor pains. woman after woman after woman came in screaming, laboring, moved to delivery room, and then to their postpartum room for the next several hours. I felt like a complete failure and could not belive that I was not progressing. Finally on the late hours of the 2nd night active labor kicked in. I was screaming like a wild wounded animal. Tim had been there long enough that Dr Bailey must have felt sorry for him because he let him sit in the hallway with him watching tv and playing cards. I was very frustrated and angry at them both. Finally, the next morning my nurse, Mrs. Isum, talked the dr into giving me a shot for pain. He ordered Demerol IM. In the class they told us it could make the baby very sleepy and not do well after delivery so I refused it. I got out of control when I was dilated 6cm or so and she and Tim talked me into it. I took the injection. It did not help the pain at all. It made me sleepy when I was not hurting but when I was hurting I was more out of control. I screamed "just kill me" over and over again. Finally around lunch time Dr Bailey came in and told me IF I would promise him I would push with everything I had he would go ahead at 9cm and let me deliver the baby. Of course I agreed. I would have agreed to anything at that point. They carried me to the delivery room and administered the spinal block. I felt such relief. Tim was brought in and sit by my head. All of a sudden I heard the nurse say "Mr. Green are you ok?" He was ushered out. "Mickey", Timothy Michael Green was born November 19, 1981 after 36 hours of labor, a broken tail bone and 4th degree episotomy. When I laid eyes on him he looked just like Tim. The amazing thing was all that labor, pain, etc... did not matter anymore. It was worth it all!