NATURAL DELIVERY IN HOSPITAL
(Page 4 of 5)
May/June 1971
By Sharon Maehl
If all this makes you fear for your safety, rest assured that thousands of women are now using this quick in-quick out hospital delivery tech nique with no harm to themselves or to their children. Dr. Bradley often releases his mothers from the hospital within hours of delivery . . . as do Drs. Miller, Moss and Winch of the French Hospital in San Francisco. They wouldn't be doing it if it weren't safe and natural.
RELATED CONTENT
My second delivery-a little over a year ago-was based on the suggested schedule I've just outlined and went like this:
On December 24, 1969, I was wallpapering our new apartment with my husband and daughter . . . and having contractions every fifteen, minutes. I didn't think these contractions could be labor, however, because they weren't the least bit painful nor remarkable in any way. My due date was the 25th, though, and my husband kept muttering that I must be in early labor.
At five that evening we went off to do some last minute Christmas shopping and, while we were in the store, the contractions became so strong (from pressure, not pain) that I couldn't keep walking. I still thought it was all a joke . . . and my husband still muttered.
We stopped in to see some relatives and have a drink or two at six thirty. We all laughed about the contractions which, by then, were five minutes apart. Still no pain, no bleeding, no anything.
At seven thirty I started bleeding slightly (many ah-hah's from my husband and my mother). We left our little girl, Trilby, with the grandparents and started for home to pick up a few things for the hospital.
At home we milled around calling people and timing contractions for another hour. When the contractions were a minute and a half apart, getting hairy and a bit difficult to control we decided to leave for the hospital. After a few funny scenes in the hall with neighbors, we did leave . . . and signed in at the hospital at 9 p.m.
I was still afraid I was having false labor and would be sent home, I was getting quite aggravated about the discomfort and I was snapping constantly at my husband.
The nurses in the labor room, upon talking to me, became nervous and called the doctor immediately. I later realized that, when I had said that this was my second child, they thought I had said seventh. . . and had gotten upset about it.
So the doctor came running in, examined me and yelled, "Get her into the delivery room quick!"
Much rushing around, hurried wheeling down the corridor, etc. I hopped (really) onto the delivery table and pushed away an obnoxious anesthetist who ran over and tried to jam a mask over my face. I looked up at the doctor and — just as my husband (looking very confused) came running into the room — the baby kind of whooshed out.
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