The Birth
"Don't make a birth plan." This was the best advice from my doctor. I had often joked throughout the pregnancy that I would probably go into labor while at work in the hospital. Well...it almost came true. I was working in the ICU when I started getting my "irritable uterus" pains. Another nurse who was sitting near me started timing them, then said, "You better go to the birthplace". So, I called the supervisor, gave a report on my patients to the next nurse, and a coworker pushed me in a wheelchair to the birthplace. Turns out I was only 3 cm dilated, so they sent me home. That night I got the best sleep I had had during the entire pregnancy. Then I woke up at 5 a.m. with similar pains. I did all the things they tell you: I drank water, I ate a snack, I moved around, but the pain never improved. By this time, the father had already left for work. I decided I would call a friend once the doctors' office opened. In...