What Women Won’t Tell You About Giving Birth
It’s time to come out of the shadows.
When I found out I was pregnant for the first time, I was thrilled. My then-husband and I had been trying for a year. Finally, the two lines on my pregnancy test popped up immediately with the good news. We would have a baby to love.
Other than some morning sickness, my pregnancy was relatively easy. I admitted to being a little nervous about the delivery, but my mother-in-law said that it would be just one day out of all the days of my life. That made me feel better. I could certainly get through one rough day.
At my final doctor’s visit before the birth, Dr. Kendall told me that I was already three centimeters dilated. He then did an examination, at which time he caused me more pain than I’d ever experienced in my life. When I screamed, Dr. Kendall admitted to “stripping” my membrane. He looked at me sheepishly and said, “I’m just trying to get things moving.”
Dr. Kendall had been recommended to me by a friend, who told me that he was “simply the best.” I wasn’t exactly sold after meeting him, but the pain he caused me during the exam made me wish I had a different doctor. “Too late now,” I thought as Dr. Kendall made me an appointment for the hospital the next day.
