Page 308 - Wordsmith A Guide to College Writing

just because of all the walking. What pregnant woman

wouldn’t have back pain at this point? However, I

quickly lost interest in the cheeseburger as the pain
increased with each step I took. We made our way home.

As soon as we pulled into the driveway and unpacked, we

were on our way to the hospital.

Walking through the doors of the maternity ward, I was
shaking with pain. This pain wasn’t like anything that I

had experienced before. This wasn’t normal labor pain;

this pain had me worried. I could barely say my own name

when the nurse stepped to my side and half carried me to

the bed. The event began to spin out of control and
chaos quickly took over. Through the episodes of agony

and haze, I would catch the whispered names of

specialists being called to the room. The quick,

worrisome glances among the staff were noticeable

despite their not saying anything directly to me. My
family was asked to leave the room, and the cautious

tone was broken with one very sharp command.

“Do not push. Whatever you do, do not push,” said the

doctor. “The umbilical cord is wrapped around his throat
twice. His shoulder is also stuck in the canal. Do not

push.”

Each minute felt like an hour. I spent the next ten

minutes worried that I couldn’t control the urge to