Still not quite number 6’s exact birthday time. He would say I couldn’t tell him what the time is and he is probably right. I can give ball park times of all six kids but no exact times, except maybe the twins.

Pregnancy number five had been tough. I had horrible blood pressure problems. My OB/GYN had first put me on an aspirin a day regimen, hoping it would help with my extraordinarily high blood pressure. When that didn’t work, he actually put me on BP meds. I was not a happy pregnant person. Add to this that the baby was due in August when I was suppose to go to Canada for a convention. Anyway, back to today 19 years ago.

With the BP issue – which, by the way, has never been repeated in life other than during pregnancy 5, my doctor was seeing me every two weeks. I was not  due for another four weeks, I think. Maybe it was only three weeks out. I went to the doctor’s for a regular appointment this morning 19 years ago today and he asked me what I had had for breakfast and what time I had eaten. I didn’t really think anything of it but answered. He quickly replied that I should not eat anything more and I should go home, pack and meet him at the hospital!

Crap! If my BP hadn’t been high before, I am sure it was now. I had my oldest – almost 10 – at the other end of the county at a soccer camp (and yes, we were the carpool parents that day. The twins were at an enrichment program the school district use to run. They were due back at the elementary school about a mile from our house about noon. These things did not matter to my doctor. I was to be at the hospital. On top of that, there were still two other kids to think about what to do with them.

Needless to say, number 4 – who always could be a pip when she wanted – didn’t want to go with the friend that was willing to take her. It was looking more and more like the ex was going to drop me at the hospital and he was going to babysit, not be at the birth of number 6.

He did drop me at the hospital but the mother of number 4’s friend took matters into her own hands and managed to get the other kids away from the ex. I had managed, while packing, to call the other carpool families and make arrangements for that and found a neighbor to get the twins off the bus.

Off to the hospital for a c-section. The high BP, my OB/GYN was sure, would drop to normal as soon as the baby was out. I had had two previous c-sections – one under general anesthesia and one using an epidural. I was pulling for the epidural again. The lovely doctor was pushing for a spinal. I was uneasy but finally gave in. This birth was not going to be the one I wanted anyway. Then, came the bigger issue. The anesthesiologist  was having trouble getting the catheter in for the spinal. I forgot I had, at the beginning of my pregnancy, fallen down several stairs and sublocated my tailbone. I had also, evidently, compacted a few vertebrae. He was having to move the catheter up and was getting close to where it would be too high. I would have to have a general anesthesia again. He did finally manage to get it in and we got this show on the road.

Baby number six joined the family around 3:30 (that is within an hour I think). And he’s been stirring up things ever since.