In my long life, there have been many moments worth remembering. Among them are the births of each of my children.
In the days leading up to the birth of my first child, my wife and I had decided to leave Maracay for Caracas to be closer to family members who lived in the capital. We spent a few days with my wife's family and a few days with my mother. At that time, I didn't have my own car, and taxi service in the area where we were staying was quite poor.
It was a bright day in May, and I had gone with my wife to my mother's house. Everything was fine until mid-afternoon, when my wife began to feel some contractions in her belly. My mother said we should wait, since sometimes first-time mothers can have these contractions even days before giving birth.
But after midnight, the contractions became stronger, and my mother said it was time to go to the maternity ward.
It wasn't easy to find transportation. At that time, there was no telephone line at my mother's house, and I couldn't find a taxi either. The solution came from a friend who had a van that he used to deliver products to a supermarket. I spoke to him, and he said he could take my wife, but he only had room for her. I would have to find another vehicle to get there.
At around 2 a.m., my wife left with my friend for the maternity ward. I waited until 5 a.m. when the first public transportation buses began to run. I arrived at the maternity ward at around 6:30 a.m., and my friend was there. My wife had been taken to the floor where the women in labor were.
My son took a while to be born. He came into the world around noon, and at around 2 p.m., I saw his face for the first time. At that moment, I felt that my life had changed forever.
Almost five years later, it was my second child's turn. By then, we had more experience. My wife was studying medicine at the hospital in Maracay and had spoken to some of her friends who were professors so that they could assist her during the delivery. But when the time came for the birth, we couldn't find any of these friends.
At that time, we were in better shape than the first time. We had our own car, and the baby wanted to be born in the afternoon.
I remember that my wife and I went to the hospital. When we arrived, she identified herself as a medical student and we went straight to the delivery room. I was struck by the long line of women waiting to be seen.
When we arrived, we looked everywhere, but none of the friends who had offered to help us were there. However, we were attended to by a very generous nurse who welcomed my wife and prepared her on a stretcher. No one asked me to leave; it was as if I were some kind of ghost that no one could see.
In my eyes, the atmosphere was not pleasant at all. Everywhere there were women on stretchers, screaming and demanding attention. A single doctor went from one stretcher to another, checking on each woman. I stayed by my wife's side, holding her hand.
Suddenly, my wife grabbed my hand very tightly and told me that it was time. I looked for the nurse and told her. When she saw me, the nurse ran off to find the doctor. A few seconds after the doctor arrived, my son was born.
I will never forget that moment, my son upside down, still attached to the umbilical cord, crying and moving like a little fish.
My wife spent that night in the hospital, and the next day the three of us went home.
The birth of my daughter was also quite a surprise. The doctor had determined that she would be born by C-section. He had given my wife a date that was still a little far off.
On the day she was born, I went to work. This was before cell phones existed. The only way my wife could contact me was by calling the high school where I worked, in a small town about forty minutes from Maracay.
When I left home, everything was fine, and my wife didn't mention anything unusual. But mid-morning, she began to feel ill. She went with one of her sisters to see a doctor friend of ours whom we sometimes consulted. When they arrived, the doctor told her that she should immediately find the doctor who would perform the C-section, as the time had come. Fortunately, they were able to find him without much difficulty.
I was in my classroom when someone came by to tell me that my wife had called and that I should go home immediately. The news surprised me, but I didn't imagine that the time had already come for the birth.
An hour later, I arrived home. The first thing I saw when I opened the door was a note on the table. My wife had written that I should go immediately to the clinic to finish arranging for the birth of our daughter.
When I arrived, I paid the remaining balance, asked for my wife, and was told that she had already had the C-section and that I could go to the newborn ward to see my daughter.
Through a glass window, a smiling nurse gestured to me, indicating which of the babies resting in their cribs was my daughter. I stared at her for a long time, then came the great pleasure of holding her in my arms for the first time.
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Translated with DeepL.com (free version).
Logo creado por @themanualbot
