My Childhood: Birth

I was comfortable and happy. It was warm and I felt like I was floating in space and time. It was dark, very dark, but somehow the darkness was soothing and calming. I couldn't see anything, but I sensed love and occasionally other emotions and feelings: sadness, loneliness, hunger and so on.

Occasionally I heard sounds, but I could not quite make out what the noises meant. It wasn't important: I was happy and safe and life was uneventful.

Once in a while my little universe changed. I felt a bump now and then, occasionally I was squeezed or pulled strangely. These were isolated incidents and didn't make much difference to me at the time. It was just part of the world.

Suddenly everything began changing dramatically all around me. I felt squeezed over and over at regular intervals. Faster and faster the squeezing occurred, which was both annoying and puzzling at the same time. I felt hot, which was very upsetting, and wet, which was completely new. What was going on?

Then after this went on for a long time, I felt my little body move down a long space. I felt something grab me and wham! My little body was in a new place, a very different place. I was very frightened - why did my safe little world change all of a sudden?

Then there was pain! Lots of pain! And bright lights, large moving blurry shapes moving all around me, grabbing me, cutting the cord (more pain), then some serious pain and I screamed. Air poured into my lungs, fast and hot.

I remember two faces. A very nice woman (exhausted) and a man. They were tired but happy. I felt my world begin to come into focus, and stability came to me at last. These were my parents.

This was the second child born to a Gravida II, Para I 20 year old Caucasian mother who is blood group B, RH negative, serology negative. She ran a positive titer if 1 to 16 against RH prior to delivery. This woman’s only previous child died at age of nine months with dysentery in the Philippines. The delivery was spontaneous under pudental anesthesia. Infant’s condition at birth was good. Its character of cry lusty, and respirations normal within two minutes.

Showed the infant to be in fairly good condition. The weight 8 pounds 3ounces, length 20, head 35 cm., chest 34 cm. There was a Grade I systolic murmur but no other significant abnormalities. There was no jaundice noted in the immediate neonstal period. The child did have pale mucosa.

The cord blood showed the child to be Type O, positive with a positive direct and indirect Coombs. The hemoglobin on the cord blood was 12.2 gm., hematocrit 45%. Bilirubin on 8 November at 1500 hrs, was a total of 6.78 mg.%, direct .35 mg. The child was exchanged. Following the exchange hemoglobin was 9.6 gm., and hematocrit 33%. The following day, 9 November the bilirubin was 9.3 mg. On 10 November, bilirubin had risen again to a total of 10 mg.% and hemoglobin at this time was 12.6 gm. On 11 November hemoglobin was 10.8 gm.; the bilirubin had dropped to 5.2 mg.%.

This infant born to a RH negative mother was found to be RH positive and jaundice developed beginning at two hours. The child was taken down for exchange transfusion which was accomplished without difficulty. The child was returned to the ward in good condition. A total of 1 unit or 500 cc. of whole blood, type O, RH negative, low A & B titer was used. The child was put on Penicillin and Streptomycin; was placed in an Isolette; and had no complications following transfusion. The following day the bilirubin was rising again and rose to 10 on 10 November, but subsided to 4 mg.^ by 11 November. The physical examination of the child showed it to be in good physical condition. He was discharged 14 November doing well. He will be followed in the Outpatient Department.

Signed,
Margaret McChesney, M.D.
USAF Hospital Travis, Travis AFB, California