Getting to the Midwives

I called Bob to tell him about my water breaking and increasing contractions. Velma answered the phone at the Catholic Boys high school where he was teaching in the South Bronx. He shocked everyone, but not me, by saying he would leave as soon as he finished his bagel. I told him to come home, pack up my stuff in the taxi and I would call with info on where I'd be. I was off to the midwives' office. They wanted to check on me before having me go to the birth center at St. Luke's Roosevelt.

I arrived at the midwives' office via subway from the lower east side to the upper west side. It was packed with pregnant women. I was the only one in labor and expected to be treated IMMEDIATELY. Instead they had me sit in the waiting room for 45 minutes. I sat there quietly figuring they just wanted the labor to progress. Finally they called me in. It was Sandy, one of my favorite nurse midwives, that examined me and told me I was four centimeters dilated. She said I should go to the birthing center. I could either take a cab there or walk so that I could move my labor along more. The distance was just under a mile (but I did not know that then). I opted to walk.