Having Babies at University of South Alabama in Mobile is a Breeze

Everything about this pregnancy slipped up on me. When the "bloody show" appeared around three in the morning, I shouldn't have been surprised when Ryan was born at 5:19 a.m. at the University of South Alabama Hospital in Mobile, Alabama. I got there at 5:00 a.m. mind you!

Without dwelling too long on the particulars of the pregnancy: we were living in Mobile. I was having to get prenatal care at the Mobile County Health Department because my husband had lost his health insurance. The University of South Alabama, located in Mobile, staffed the health clinic and USA Hospital with interns and nurses from their programs. In spite of being a "dependent" mother, I was always treated with respect. I didn't feel any less than patients with insurance or money to pay.

The day leading up to my water breaking was a long day. I didn't know at the time, but I was in labor. Contractions presented themselves in a cycle, but who was keeping track? They were especially rowdy during bumpy car rides. My husband and I went to three events, and I was so uncomfortable throughout the day. I blamed it on indigestion. We had dinner at a friend's house, and I simply could not enjoy the food no matter how hard I tried.

Neither my husband nor I knew how close I was to having a baby when he finally found an emergency room intern to wheel me into the elevator at 5:00 a.m. Hubby went to take care of paper work while the intern took me up to labor and delivery. That's when it hit me: the biggest contraction I'd ever felt. I started screaming fearfully, "this baby's cominnnggggg. . . ." Well duh, the baby had been coming ALL day. The intern got in my face and begin to holler at me. "Shut up all that screaming!" His face was contorted in ways I hadn't seen since my own Mama was getting ready to spank me. "The more you holler like that, the closer you get to having that baby, and you are NOT going to have it in this elevator. Now shut up!"

I was so shocked that I shut up.

It didn't take long for him to wheel me into the delivery room and change my clothes. In no time, I was hooked up to the necessary monitors. I recognized the attending physician, Dr. Green, from visits to the clinic. Past his head, I saw my husband standing there looking on. Dr. Green smiled and greeted me unnecessarily jovial for that time of morning. He asked how I was. I asked, what did he think?

Dr. Green had put on gloves. He informed me that he was going to see how much I'd dilated. After thrusting his hand into my cervix, he drew back, his eyes widened.

"You are nine and a half centimeters," he informed me.

My brain was too foggy to comprehend.

"This baby is here!"

Then he gave me instructions. "I'm going to count to five," he said. "I want you to give the biggest push of your life when I do, okay?"

I nodded, unable to speak.

The count came: "One. . .two. . .three. . .four. . .five."

I closed my eyes and screamed and pushed. It wasn't pain I felt anymore. It was more like euphoria. Then I gasped, when I looked at my doctor and the attending nurse. They were the recipients of my amniotic fluids. It turns out that when I pushed, the placenta broke all over them.

This is when the nurse ushered my husband out of the delivery room.

Dr. Green panicked. His intention of performing an episiotomy for my baby's head to emerge nicely was futile. Ryan's head burst through. My little chocolate brown, purple-lipped boy was here. Dr. Green preceded to meticulously repair my busted bottom with needle and surgical thread while the nurse wrapped Ryan in a warm blanket and show my husband his new son.. Dr. Green talked to me while he stitched. Amazingly, I was conscious and talked back.

The care that Ryan and I received at University of South Alabama was excellent. All of the nurses were cordial. The food wasn't half bad. The education videos were on pertinent topics. The care packet I received was full of all the items a mother needed for her newborn. Never, not once was my family treated like we didn't deserve good medical care because we didn't have insurance.

I never saw Dr. Green again after then. But I'll never forget him. Especially memorable was the look on his face when my water broke all over him.