Memoir

Five Days from Valentine’s Day

By Nancy Lopez-McQueen
ENGL 2250
Summer 2019
Salt Lake Community College
Professor Andrea Malouf
07/07/2019
Five Day’s from Valentine’s Day Nancy Lopez-McQueen

Cool breeze could be felt seeping through the window sill as my alarm blared at 8:30

AM. I struggled to get up from the bed just as I had for the past four months. I began to tap

Steven on his right arm lightly. No response. I tapped a little harder until I heard a small grunt.

“Hey, can you help me up from the bed?” I asked as I started to weave in and out

between a laying position to a sit up position.

Steven placed his right palm on my upper back, as he had done for last four months. I

sat up and leaned back just a bit to not squeeze my ever-growing belly. I saw my belly’s skin

rise just a bit and I knew Miles was just saying hello.

I walked to the bathroom to wash my hair, put on makeup, and straighten my hair. As I

was about to be finish I peeked into my bedroom where I saw Steven fast asleep once more.

“Hey, wake up and get ready we are about to leave,” I demanded. He grunted once

more.

I let him be as I knew he be up real soon. In the days leading to today, I told Steven that

he had to come to my 39 weeks visit to see Dr. Pierson over at Cottonwood OBGYN clinic. As

we were nearing the due date of Miles, February 14th, I wanted Steven to be there. Although,

he couldn’t be in the room as they examine me as hospitals and clinics literary made him faint.

As long as he was in the lobby that to me that was enough.

Steven got up reluctantly and we made our way outside to the car. The dirty melted

snow lined the walkway and I made sure to step very slowly so I would not slip. We drove off to

the clinic without a clue that our day was about to change drastically. We arrived at the clinic

and the usual occurred. Signed in, paid my copay, and sat in the lobby among the many women

in different stages of pregnancy. I felt calm as I waited. The head nurse called me over after ten

minutes or so. Her name was Cindy, and older woman who had at this point I had become a

familiar face to me. As I waved to Steven as I followed her into the location where all the exam

rooms where at. I did my standard procedures of a urine test, weight check, and blood pressure

check.

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“Oh, I may need to check that again,” said Cindy as she read the blood pressure

displayed on the machine. As she strapped my arm once again and placed the cold stethoscope

underneath the pressure sleeve. “I am getting the same results. I am going to give this

information to Dr. Pierson. You have been reading pretty well in all your visits so far, but

because you are so far along this can be alarming.”

She got up and told me to follow her into the exam room. She instructed me to take

everything below the waist off and to place a sheet over while I waited. She closed the door and

I waited for Dr. Pierson to come in. I laid back looking up at the titles of the ceiling and a bit of

panic started setting in. My concern was from what Cindy had just told me regarding my blood

pressure results could it be preeclampsia or pregnancy diabetes

As Dr. Pierson came in, he had my chart and welcomed me. He sat on his small brown

stool and said, “Your blood pressure results could indicate possible hypertension. I will have

Cindy do it one last time to see and if it is, to reduce it from getting worse you may have to

induce you tonight.”

Fear. Panic. Joy. I started to have many emotions as I could not believe what I was

hearing. As he went through my normal routine of checking my cervix and measuring my belly,

all I could think about what how I would tell Steven without setting him into panic mode. We

discussed the water breaking scenario not the indication scenario. As he completed the visit he

helped me get up from the exam table and the paper began to rustle. He told me to get dress

and go to Cindy once more and he will be there.

As I got dress and left the room. I walked towards them and the chair. I felt a bit wobbly

from my legs from the nerves that were setting in. I sat down and began to breath to calm

myself down. Cindy took my pressure and Dr. Pierson look at the results. He sat down on chair

directly from me and told me, “We will have to induce you tonight. Although, your hypertension

is not too severe right now it can get there if you wait for next week or even your due date. If you

want me to be the one who delivers your baby, I will only be able this weekend.” I didn’t even

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think twice, I wanted to meet Miles and I was concern of my health. I told him I be willing to be

induced that same night. He nodded, and Cindy got me all prepare on the maternity ward

paperwork. Dr. Pierson gave me a paper to take to the lab as blood needed to be checked

before being able to prepare me for childbirth. “You will be induced today and by tomorrow you

will have your baby.” Miles will be five days early from his due date, Valentine’s Day, but this

meant I would have one extra week to enjoy him before returning to work.

I waved goodbye as I clutched the paper and began to exit towards the lobby. I took a

deep breath as I knew Steven would know by just my facial expression. As I open that door and

I saw him sitting on his phone.

He looked up and he asked, “How did it go,” as he got up and we began to walk out of

the clinic doors into the main hallway. “We are going to have the baby tonight.” I said softly

almost if I didn’t want other people to hear. Steven’s eyes seem to pop out like a cartoon

character. “I need my blood drawn right now.” I continued as he was shocked and happy. As my

blood was drawn and we headed down to the main entrance towards the parking lot. I was

getting scared but happy.

We got in in our bright yellow Nissan Sentra, I grabbed my phone and dial my mom.

“Hello,” she answered in Spanish as I began to cry. “What is it love?” she continued in

Spanish.

I brushed my tears away, “I am going to have the baby. They are inducing me tonight

and tomorrow I will give birth to him,” I responded back in Spanish.

I could hear my mom scream in joy she told me to be calm and to call her when all is

done. I wanted to have my family there, specially my mom, but she was in California and it was

to much of a short notice.

I was told by Cindy to wait for a phone called at night by 9. If I did not get it, I could call

to see what is going on. During the afternoon while I waited for the call, I was packing a

maternity bag with my clothes and Miles’ clothes. Steven called his job to get permission to not

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come in tonight nor tomorrow. As it got to 9 I had not received a call. I called the maternity ward

and they told me that they will call me soon as they were trying to get a nurse for me. I took a

quick nap while I waited while feeling Miles kicking me and moving around. My phone rang

twenty minutes past nine, and they told me that I was good to come in. I looked at Steven and I

exclaimed, “Let’s do this. Just don’t faint.” Steven smiled and said, “I’ll try not to.”

We arrived at the maternity ward, signed in, and they took me in to a large room with

brown walls, monitors, TV, and a couch. I got into the gown they gave me. It was blue. They

also gave me non-slip blue socks. I hated wearing them the moment I put them on as it made

me remember the red ones I wore when I was a child in the children’s hospital after having

anesthesia since I was a big pain to the dentist.

“Do you want skin-to-skin contact when the baby is born,” asked the nurse as she

anticipated my response to write it on the white board.

“Yes,” I replied.

“Will you be breastfeeding?”

“I want to try and see if I can,”

“Will you be needing an epidural?” she asked as her final question.

“No,” I replied.

The nurse continued to hook me up with all the monitoring items and left the room while

remarking she will be coming back in an hour. Steven laid down on the bed, he kept reiterating “I

will lay down when you give birth, so I won’t faint.” I nodded. The nurse told me to try to sleep as

much as I could. I tried but I could feel Miles kicking near my ribs making it hard to find a position

to sleep. Different nurses came in every 4 hours to put the inducing pills into my cervix. I still had

no contractions. As morning came, Susan came. As my family were all in California, my mother

in law was a great support for me having Steven unable to see the birth in its entirety.

A nurse came in and told me that they will have to give me IV to induce contractions as I

had not felt them yet, after three pills. Suddenly I felt them a bit stronger after the IV. As I laid in

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pain, I told myself it was still bearable. Dr. Pierson came in and hour or so later, “I am going to

break your water and you’ll be ready to push close to 1:30”, he said as he sat placed his gloves

and put an instrument that was obscured by my legs and gown. Suddenly I felt a prick and not a

second later liquid started flushing out. It was warm and for a couple seconds quite relieving.

The nurse gave me a towel as they grabbed on to another one to make sure I was not spilling

over the bed.

As quick as the relief and I would even say a euphoric feeling came, so did the pain.

Excruciating pain. The sharp pain could be felt from my torso down. I tried not to scream instead

I started to grunt a lot. The nurse asked me if I wanted an epidural and I still said no. I was left to

wait for the time to push as they waited for dilation to start. Every contraction at this point, I felt,

they got stronger and more painful. A feeling that is quite hard to describe. Steven would hold

my hand when I anticipated a contraction. My grunts slowly turned into screams.

“I can’t,” I yelled with tears in my eyes.

“What do you want me to do?” Steven said as his face was concern and scared.

“I need to get the nurse, I need that epidural.”

As Steven press the nurse button on the side of the bed, I felt a bit bad. I tried to avoid

the epidural thinking I could do it, but the pain was unbearable, and I resigned.

The nurse came in an asked, “Are you sure you want an epidural?” as another

contraction came I softly said, “Yes”.

The anesthesiologist came in and prepared his items as Steven walked out the room

and the nurse held my hand. Seconds later my contractions became less painful and I started to

feel at ease. My legs became numb, but my mood had change. I felt ready to deliver my baby.

As Dr. Pierson came in, he checked if the baby was in the proper position, “Nancy, are you

ready to push” he said as he continued, “You’re in luck, the baby is the really great position and

the pushing should be quick.” I took a deep breath as he called out the nurses to get all the

things ready. I looked at Steven with a giant grin, “Just lay down. You don’t need to see it, I just

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need you present in the room. To me that is enough.” He nervously smiled and laid down as

Susan came back from leaving earlier for a quick lunch. She held my hand as Steven could not.

“At every contraction push for ten seconds and do not forget to breath,” Dr. Pierson said

as I was getting ready to push. At every push I felt nothing, all I could hear around me was to

keep going and that I was doing a good job. “One more push,” Dr. Pierson excitedly said after

twenty minutes of pushing passed. Then I felt Miles leave my body and he cried. They placed

him on my bare chest as I felt his weight come down on me. I did not cry, I was to emotional to

cry. I held him. I notice he had my eye shape. As I held him on my chest I could feel his

umbilical cord still attach to me. Steven got up and he too looked to emotional to cry. As they cut

his cord they took Miles to get cleaned, Steven held my hand. I felt terrified knowing that this

small human was my responsibility, but I felt ready to tackle the challenges.

They gave Miles back to me, cleaned and wrapped in a white swaddle with baby

footprints imprinted on it. I held him, kissing his reddish cheeks. I joked, “Well I did say I was

ready to stop being pregnant.” Miles yawn and nuzzled between my breast trying to latch for

milk. When he found it, he began to eat which later turn to sleep. As I rested with my baby and I

began to daydream off all the new things we will be experiencing as a family once we left the

hospital and back to our home.