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September 12, 2006
I Don’t Know Nuthin’ ‘Bout Birthin’ Babies, Apparently
Although I couldn’t birth the baby, I did my best to help Aunt Lulu do so.
She tried everything to induce labor naturally, except the nipple-rubbing and the castor oil, which she deemed extreme. She walked, climbed stairs, ate the foods you suggested, and drank raspberry leaf tea. Her husband massaged the web between her thumb and forefinger, her ankle above her Achilles, and her calf about four inches above her inner ankle. Together, she and I cleaned out her spice drawer and she painstakingly glued all the Christmas cards she’s received from her friends over the last five years into a fancy scrapbook– truly the activity of a woman who had nested so long that she was about to run out of projects.
After all that, she was still spry as ever (I exaggerate a little– she was still attracting panicky looks from passers-by since it appeared she was hiding a humongous turducken underneath her shirt) so she went to the doctor yesterday and was scheduled for induction this morning.
When I talked to Finn last night, he sighed and said, “Mom, the house has never been as dirty as it is now. I can really tell you’ve been gone.”
In the background I heard Bill howl, “Dude! Keep it to yourself! Go grab the vacuum or start some wash if that’s the way you feel!”
Bill has had a remarkably good attitude about shouldering all roles: lawyer, parent, cook, coach, disciplinarian and so forth. His support has been invaluable; I certainly would not have felt free to represent our family up here if he wasn’t completely on board.
Aunt Lulu and her husband are perfectly capable of having a baby without anyone from our side of the family being present. But we’ve had a difficult year coping with my mom’s unexpected death and the events that followed. My sisters and I have relied heavily on each other these last months, and we believed that it was imperative that at least one of us be present. My other sister is flying up next week to help the post-partum Aunt Lulu, so she’ll be smothered in Southern, sisterly love.
Aunt Lulu’s laboring now, so keep the prayers coming for a safe delivery.
ps - I found a doctor to remove my cast, which had gotten wet and smelly and needed to come off anyway. Unfortunately, my fractures had not healed, so the doctor recast it. My new cast doesn’t have a single signature, so I walk the streets of this big city looking like a friendless, uncoordinated roller-blader. Sniff.
In other news, a lady at a lingerie store here diagnosed me as a 34AA. She was really old and smelled of lavender, so I figured she’d seen her share of boobs in her day. This knowledge, of course, means that I fought The Breast Wars Part 1 and Part II at a distinct disadvantage, as I was thinking I was 36 inches round. I’m contemplating a rematch when the cast comes off.
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September 12th, 2007 at 10:14 pm, My Tiny Kingdom » Tuna Fish & Wacky Packs Says:
[...] year ago in the Tiny Kingdom: I Don’t Know Nothin’ Bout Birthin’ Babies Posted by Anne Glamore @ 10:10 pm • Blast From the Past, Those Crazy Kids [...]