Part I

This is a two part story... You have to bear with me and just go with it. But this is how it all began...

It was 1996. Number 2 as we called him was not due for two more weeks. Valentine Day to be exact. It was a hard pregnancy. Two amniocentesis, combined with strep and the flu and an assortment pack of other major issues. At the last amnio, the doctor told us that there could problems with the baby. Connective tissue and Down's syndrome were prevalent in all tests. We prepared to deal with the worst as the doctor laid it on the line and told us the baby had a high chance of being still born. Not the words you want and need to hear but I thank her for her honesty to this day. And they asked us at every sonogram and amnio if we wanted to know the baby's sex and we declined.

Now here is the odd and funny part if you will. My doctor at the time was pregnant so was her nurse. And to add to this, all 3 of us were due only a week apart with the doctor scheduled to deliver first, then me then the nurse. As if there is not enough proof in the world that it is a small world, the nurse lived 5 blocks from us at that time. So I went in for my usual daily visit as I had been going in every other day then every day since 25 weeks, and low and behold on the 6th of February, the doctor delivered her baby girl. Great I thought. Wonderful. Will the substitute doc know what to do with me and for me?? Oh he did.... I went in and Carol the nurse sent me upstairs to his office after she did her thing and told me about Dr. Parker. I was happy and she and I laughed as we joked about delivering on the same day. I saw the substitute doc who rush ordered a sonogram not the typical one but a more exhaustive one. We waited in his office for the results. He came in with a worried look on his face. He looked at Carlos and me and the chart seriously. He then utter these words and I have no clue why they haunt me to this day but they do " the baby is going to be uh rather large and I am concerned about delivery I did the exhaustive testing to make certain the lungs are working and I am scheduling you to induction tomorrow morning." Huh?? What do you mean tomorrow morning? I mean the baby is not set to come until Valentine's Day.. "well I am thinking this baby maybe as large as your first baby and I do not want to put you through that stress and everything is fine with the baby it is breathing and the lungs are working." Fine perhaps you do know what you are doing but ok.... So off we go back home to prepare for the baby.... Neither of us nor the house were ready and Gus sure was not but he got to go to Granny's and spend the night so he really did not care...

Later that evening as we began getting ready and went to bed, my stomach started to hurt in the weirdest spot. I assumed it was gas pains from all the coughing and all that. Well let me tell ya, this baby must have heard the doctor and heard what time we had to be at the hospital which by the way was check in at 3 a.m. A little after midnight, my water broke and Carlos ( god love him ) was so nervous and anxious that yes I literally had to drive myself contractions and all to the hospital.... The contractions were mild or so I was told but I just know my back freaking hurt and so did my stomach. Lord could it be my appendix I thought? I mean why not I had had everything else under the sun during that pregnancy. So heading down I-30 into the hospital district I told Carlos you may have to drive I am getting dizzy and sick at my stomach all the while he is heaving into the trash can. We made it to Harris downtown and were rushed upstairs. I have not a clue to this day who parked the car, I just know that the labor and delivery nurse brought the keys to us shortly after we arrived.

The nurses scanned the paperwork and were like we are not supposed to see you for 2 more hours what happened?? Hell if I could answer that I would be able to make my stomach stop hurting. Carlos was trying to convey to Granny over the phone in broken spanglish where we were and what happened. Evidently it did not translate well as she sent  mother to our house and from there her deductive reasoning skills kicked in and she finally made it to the hospital. An hour after our arrival at the hospital, everything stopped as in someone hit the switch and turned it off.

From the hallway, I could hear a familiar, comforting voice of Dr. Parker, barking out orders and yelling for Dr. Reed the substitute. The door burst open and in she came. I told her she had looked better as remember she had delivered only hours earlier. So here we go with the nasty stuff to make labor begin again and here goes my stomach ache again.

Finally at 2:30 p.m. that afternoon we got somewhere and it took nurse Carol holding my hand. And from there it was all down hill as they say.

So now I am keeping you in suspense until later.......