Title: An interview with Andrea Ottaviano (Mom) Giving birth to her first child
The 5 Ws: Who, what, when, where, why
Notes…
- It began on a Friday morning of a November 5th, 20 years ago, today
- Dad went off to work
- Night before having a lot of back pain, Dad was rubbing her back
- Dad drove to work today, and he was planning on stopping the GBSCC annual sports convention
- Later on, that morning, my mom had the “bloody show” which is what they call it
- My mom thought she was having contractions
- She called the doctor, Dr. Zuckerman
- They said she should come in
- My mom called my dad at 10 am
- My dad said, “Do you think this is it”?
- My mom made sure her bag was packed and ready to go
- She took a shower, put makeup on, got her hair all good and ready to go
- My mom is looking at the clock waiting for my dad. A couple of hours went by, my mom was thinking that it was getting late, and they were going to hit rush hour traffic if she didn’t leave
- My mom called my dad at work and he wasn’t answering
- My mom thought to herself that she might have to drive herself and her contractions were getting closer
- She put her suitcase in the car, and then my Dad finally shows up at 4 o’clock
- My mom said, “where were you!!”
- Sadly, they hit rush hour traffic
- My mom had such bad back contractions while she was in the car
- They get to the hospital; they checked her to see how many centimeters she was dilated
- They brought her into the labor room
- Then Dr. Berry comes in
- Dad was hovering in the corner
- My mom had her blood pressure taken and it was very high (called Pre-eclampsia)
- That set the hospital in a whirlwind!! Some people can stroke out because of Pre-eclampsia
- They put her on the appropriate meds
- Dad was sitting in the corner, didn’t know what to do
- Dr. Berry looked over at my Dad and said, “Stop being a piece of furniture and c’mon over here!”
- The doctors come in and they put the epidural in
- About an hour later the epidural didn’t work anymore
- My mom said the pain was excruciating
- My mom says that she wants the epidural to be put back in
- The nurse tells her that she can’t because she was 8 centimeters dilated, you are too close to labor/birth (10 centimeters)
- My mom looks over at the nurse and says, “If you don’t get that anesthesiologists, I am calling the head of anesthesia, Doctor Wurm”.
- Now the anesthesiologist comes back in and she puts the epidural back in, now my mom was feeling great
- Now it was time to push
- My mom gives a few big pushes
- And there is my sisters head
- My dad is looking down there and says, “Oh my god it’s her head, and its purple!”
- Then my dad says, “Ang you’re going to want to see this!”
- My dad brings a full-length mirror over and all they saw was a big purple hairy ball
- All my mom could think of was what it felt like, she said it felt like a watermelon was coming out of her
- Then the doctor comes in and says it’s time to really push and time to deliver the baby
- Pushing and pushing and pushing and boom, my sister is out and all they could hear was crying
- The nurses said, “Oh she looks great!” And they cleaned her up and said she has ten fingers and ten toes
- They wrapped her up in the baby blanket and handed her to my mom
- “It was the most amazing thing in the world, to have so much love for one little bundle” my mom said
- “There’s nothing like it, it’s just amazing”
- The nurse said, “your daughter was born on November 6 at 12:01 am”
- Then my dad had a few words with the nurse
- My dad said “That’s wrong, I have a runners watch, so no she was not born on the 6, she was born on November 5 at 11:59”
- And the Nurse says “we will split the difference and compromise. She was born at midnight on November 6”
- “Cause I’m in charge here” the nurse said
It was the most memorable experience ever and the most wanted experience and gift that my mom and dad were given.
Gianna Ottaviano 