My first essay? Can you please review it?

Childbirth is the most astounding experience that any woman can go through and most feel a sense of ease in the fact that they subsist. I had some idea of what to expect, but there was no way to prepare for what would happen to me mentally and physically. Is having a child worth all the pain you endure?

On the night of October 28, 2003, I laid in bed wondering if was going to make it through the next twenty-four hours. It also did not help that my mother flew in from Michigan and I wanted to stay up and drill her for information. Having to induce labor was a scary thing for me. What kind of pain would I go through? What problems will arise? I had so many questions to ask. I turned on my white noise fan and tried to clear my mind so I could sleep but it did not work. I laid there in the dark for hours tossing and turning until I finally dozed off three hours before I had to get up and five am came early as the alarm clock rang. I jumped up thinking that it was all a dream and that it was going to be another day just like any other. You know, those 3 seconds of peace before reality hits you. I got out of bed, turned off my fan and hobbled into the bathroom to get ready for the day. I did not do much with myself since I was planning a day of hard labor, so I showered, dressed and gathered my stuff. My husband loaded the car and off we went to the hospital.

It was dark when we arrived and the hospital was quiet. The nurses were very supportive when informing me on the events that where about to ensue. I changed into the “fashionable” hospital attire and crawled into my assigned bed. My Doctor entered the room, explained the induction to me and administered my Pitocin Drip, the drug used to induce labor. I was not supposed to eat since it would upset my stomach, which did not seem to matter since I was already queasy from anxiety of the labor. As the hours passed, I was not having any contractions. The Pitocin did not seem to induce my labor much at all. My husband brought in our laptop to pass the time. It seemed pretty turn of the century when you are emailing your friends in the labor and delivery room. All the nurses seem to laugh as they came in to check on me every now and then. By 7 pm, my Doctor came in, unhooked my drip and informed me that we would try again tomorrow at 7:30 a.m. Let us just say I was not too happy. I could not eat, I had to spend the night in the hospital with baby still in tow, my mom could not stay the night in the hospital, so she had to go to my house alone and I was hungry! I asked my husband if he would stop at Arby’s fast food restaurant and sneak me in some chicken fingers, which he happily obliged.

I did not sleep well that night either and in the morning just after my husband picked up my mom, they re-administered the Pitocin Drip. This time was a little different though. My Doctor decided to impel me along and broke my water manually. I felt as though a great flood had washed over me as I lay in bed. It was not too comfortable either. As the hours passed, my contractions grew strong. I felt as though some one had imploded me from the inside out. My Doctor informed me that I was not dilating and the baby was wedged on my pelvis. I knew this meant Cesarean Section.

The Doctor notified me of six other C-Sections he had to do, so he scheduled me for 7 pm and disengaged the drip. The Anesthesiologist came by to administer the epidural. A local anesthetic used in pain control. He procured an enormous needle, which he intended on sticking in my Spine. I experience a muscle spasm as it pierced into my back. After that, I had no feeling from my waist down. A while later though, the epidural started to wear off and the contractions where getting worse. I was in agony. I begged anyone around to help me. The Nurses finally got a hold of the Anesthesiologist to give me more pain medication and I amiably thanked him.

They wheeled me in the Surgery room at 7 pm and placed me on a gurney. While lying down, an excruciating pain shot through my back. I informed my doctor and he told me “Relax and it will go away.” I thought to myself “Relax! How can I relax when you are planning a major operation on me that I have never had endured before? Relax, yeah right.” I took a deep breath and repeated in my head “it’s ok“. At last, the pain subsided. The Doctor took off my gown and left me naked for the whole team of doctors to observe. I was not very happy being naked in front of twenty people and having the door open for bystanders to glance in. My doctor repeated asked me “Can you feel this?” and with each time, I replied “No”, he then informed me “Ok, your cut open” This did not put my mind at ease. In fact, it terrified me. As my husband came in the room, he noticed the look on my face and tried to reassure me that everything was all right. To me at the time nothing was going right. After a while, I finally heard the cry that I had be waiting for, for nine months. There was my baby. Everything was all right. This had been the scariest and the happiest day of my life.

It was finally over and as I laid in the recovery room trying desperately to wiggle my toes, I thought, “How could anyone want to do this multiple times?” I felt like the whole day was a nightmare. They put me on the butcher’s assembly line. Then my husband brought the baby in.

At last, I held my baby boy in my arms, his tiny eyes peering at me as though his day was worse than mine had been. Maybe it was, but as I looked at what I created, I came to the conclusion that going through this whole ordeal and seeing the end result, I finally know why people go through this many times. Just having those eyes look up at you is worth it and I would do it all over again in a second.