Birth Story Part 3

I still remember the following conversation with Dr. Lew. 

Lew: It seems that every time I come in, you are eating.

Me: Every time I see you, you are in white gown. 

Lew: Me? (laugh) You are funny.

Me: It is no fun staying in a hospital bed, doctor.

He laughed again and there was sparkle shinning from his greenish brown eyes.

That was my very last day of bed rest.

I read from books that women respond and act in various ways as labor come close. Some experience the pain of contraction more severely than others and individual feels and acts differently as contraction begins.

In some weird cases, there are women seek solitary and try to hide from the world when the process begin. You can think of animals, like cats, they always find a cave to hide, in order to give birth to their babies.

I didn’t know that I was one weird animal-like woman who denied having contractions and demanded to be left alone.

In the morning of the day, I signed myself up for a bedside knitting class, and, a physical therapy session. I had no idea that my baby was coming soon.

I started feeling sore at my lower back in the afternoon. However, it was such a peaceful feeling and I just wanted to be alone and “enjoy” myself.

A blonde nurse with European accent checked me a few times and asked if I were okay. I insisted that I was okay but wanted to nap. She told me to ring her if I needed anything.

However, I didn’t ring the bell at all.

I kept to myself. I was… with God, I think.

Then, my nurse rushed in and told me that the fetal monitor registered increasing heartbeats. Then, Dr. Chen, a female Asian doctor came in and had an exam on me.

“3-centimeter!”  Dr. Chan proclaimed. My cervix was dilating to 3 centimeters at the time, and when fully opened, it would be 10 centimeters.

After I learned that, I begged to stay on ‘my bed’ and didn’t want to move.

I hadn’t attended my free knitting class and received my massage session… But, I had to bite farewell to the room with a window of nice view and move on, to my next stage of…a new life.