I did something Monday I had not done in many a year—I stubbed my shoeless left foot toes real hard against the wooden leg of a couch. Man did it hurt.
After I recovered from the dry mouth that accompanied the pain, I thought back about 35 and a half years ago to the time our friends Eleanor and Dennis had their first born a few months before Gilda delivered Dan. We had planned a natural childbirth a la the Lamaze method, as drug free as possible.
Eleanor, on the other hand, had no interest in experiencing even the slightest bit of pain. When she arrived at the hospital she was hooked up to an IV to receive scopolamine to put her into a “twilight sleep” during labor. Scopolamine has since been banned from the delivery room. For good reason. It can induce hallucinations. Eleanor acted out a scene from the darkest of comedies about childbirth. She cursed her husband for putting her in such a painful situation. In her altered mind state she punched her obstetrician in the face or stomach (Gilda and I can’t agree on the location).
When Dennis tried to comfort her and gain some insight into how much pain she was in, he offered the following comparison: “Is it as painful as when you stub a toe?”
Eleanor might not have been fully aware of her surroundings, but she was conscious enough to react violently to Dennis’ suggestion.
A few months later it was our turn to head to the hospital. Dan was a slow mover through the birth canal. Hour after hour dragged by, with few contractions. Reluctantly, very reluctantly, Gilda agreed to the administration of some pitocin to induce more frequent contractions.
The pitocin was marginally helpful as the labor extended for more than a dozen hours. With Dennis’ experience as a guide, I did not venture to ask the degree of pain Gilda was in. I’m sure it exceeded the pain threshold of a stubbed toe.
