35 years ago yesterday was one of the worst days I ever had! I was 9 months 3 weeks pregnant! My due date from the calendar thingie was April 3 so my doctor said “most first babies are late so we’ll add on a few days and say April 7.” Two weeks came and went and on the a.m. of the 21st “something” was happening. I passed what I believe was the mucus plug and I was having contractions. We called the doc and my doctor was out of town and someone I’d never laid eyes on was covering for him! He told me to go in. We stayed for a few hours and he told me it was false labor and sent me home. I sat super over pregnant in a wheelchair in the lobby sobbing and headed OUT the door. I got some funny looks. I cried and napped and went out side and walked all afternoon and evening and contracted…I don’t care what they say, I was contracting only not as set intervals, thus false labor. My next door neighbor came over and fed me wine on the theory, she said, that wine would stop it if it wasn’ real. At 8:30 p.m. I settled into 5 minute contractions. Now, we had faithfully gone to Lamaze classes and practiced so I was ready, yes I was. All. Night. Long. I deep-breathed and huffed and puffed. I told dh to go ahead and sleep, no point in us both staying awake. In the a.m. was my doc’s O.R. morning so he still was not available. Arghhhhh!!! A hosptal resident said well since you’ve been in false labor, that is what you’re having, call Dr. C later. I had my regular weekly appt. that afternoon at 1:30 p.m. anyway so off we go. I’m Lamaze breathing right along. He examined me and said to dh “She’s 6 cm dilated and fully effaced, go directly to the hospital, don’t even go home and get her bag.” !!! As soon as I got there, I asked for and got an epidural. I was exhausted. Son#1 still was not born till 8:30 p.m. and I was so tired and disoriented that I pushed when I should not have and he gave me a 4th degree laceration. Yep, today he is 35. I admit it took me a few days to fall head over hills in love with him. It had not been the beautiful experience I had been promised in all the hippie accounts I had read, LOL. I have no idea what the rage is these days but back then, we were supposed to let ourselves get in tune with the very natural, beautiful experience and just relax and concentrate and breathe and feel the wonderful miracle our bodies were doing and “go with it” etc. Natural. As nature intended, etc. Well, I’m just not wired that way. To me it hurt and felt totally wrong as if something terrible was happening to me. No amount of intellect could persuade me. I thought I might die. LOL. I was NOT a good natural childbirth candidate. I just dont really know why. It just didn’t feel “right” to me. I just wanted it to be over and have that baby in my arms. I am the type who should have had three scheduled C-secs.
He’s a magnificent human being. Now, if I could just get him to propose to his girl, he’d be perfect.
Haha! Glad it worked out and you have a healthy, bouncing 35-year-old!
35 years ago, I was finishing up my senior year in college, reading about a thousand pages a week, working on my Honors thesis, and wondering what the HELL I was going to do with my life.
(Two years after that, I was in grad school, pregnant, and wondering what the HELL I was going to do with my life…)
35 years ago I was finishing 8th grade in a condemned building because the voters in my school district would not vote the money to build a new building. We had lunch on one end of the gym, choir and band on the other end of the gym and PE fit in around the edges with Art on the stage with the drapes closed.
Wow - what a specific, detailed memory. Thanks for the math lesson - 1980 I graduated high school. So 35 years ago today I must have been in class, getting ready to be done, done, done. So long ago, and yet, just yesterday.
I had a 9 month 3 week pregnancy as well! Thank God for epidurals-- After20 hours of labor and 5 hours of hard labor, a needle up your spine sounds like a cold beer on a hot afternoon. She weighed 10 lbs 11 oz… She’s my one and only. I could not go through that again. But 35 yrs ago today? I was in a punk rock band and wreaking havoc.
35 years ago I was a sophomore studying Musical Theater at Syracuse University. Now, I’m an IT professional who gets to the theater occasionally. It really doesn’t seem like it’s been 35 years…
I was about to graduate from high school. I went to school part-time and worked worked two jobs–at a car dealer and industrial parts distributor. Making my college decision around this time, I guess.
Two years out of college, just starting my second season working in archaeological field survey, and seriously contemplating a career change that I followed through on in the fall. Am now on the 3rd or 4th career change since then. Life. It is something else.
Having quit grad school to have a baby, I wasn’t thinking about finals!
DH and I must have closed on our first house about this week in 1980. 850sq ft. Two bed one tiny bath (dominated by the diaper pail). 14% interest. Yes. 14%. Our next house was even higher.
We built a deck, put in the yard and the fence and started finishing the basement.
I was 24.
I’m sorry for your long labor. Mine came along easily. Very very few of my young coworkers even try drug free deliveries. I am glad I did.
I was driving down a steep hill in Ithaca, New York, holding onto a mattress on top of the car along with three other people, as we moved my stuff from one crappy student apartment to another. Why four PhD students didn’t bother to use rope to secure it eludes me.
I was living with my boyfriend in an apartment in the suburbs, while I commuted to another suburb. I was working at a customer service rep for an insurance company, which was so dull, but at least I didn’t have to type.
I was 22. ( we married the next year, after which we moved into a house)
I was a sophomore in college and had just pledged a sorority. It was back on campus after 16 years and 80 of us were chosen to recolonize it. After college I lost touch with all of them. Through the magic of FB, many have reconnected and we have reunions now at the university and several of us meet every few months for dinner.
