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My mother told me this story over drinks on my 27th
birthday in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
We were having a great conversation, one where you are talking
more as friends that have known each other for years rather than
mother and son. 
Mom was speaking of those times while I was growing up that I
did silly things, and fun times that friends of the family or
relatives say and do wonderful things for you. One was a story
about a Great Aunt Viola that was so close to me, and wanted me
to have a toy riding tractor, (that I thought was the bee's knees)
and somehow worked with my mother to get it for me… even though
we couldn't afford it. From there I'm not exactly sure how it
came up but here it goes.
She was in the Oakland Naval Hospital, in Oakland California
in labor with her first child, me, at approximately 21 years
of age. I was also running about 2 weeks late past the due date
for my birth (a foreshadowing of my ability to be prompt!). My
father was in the Navy, in training to go to Viet Nam at the time,
and wasn't allowed in the hospital because he was not senior in
rank enough. Most of my mother's relatives lived in either Chicago
or Florida at the time, so there were not any other family in
the area. There were many women there in the final stages of pregnancy,
lined up in beds down a line, nearly 30 or 40 women, all in labor,
some crying, some vomiting, some screaming because of labor pains.
Most of the priority for the doctors and nurses were the wounded
soldiers and sailors coming in from the war in Viet Nam.
A few nurses were the only ones taking time to give the women
in labor some attention, as the doctors were worrying about the
serious wounds of the injured servicemen.
My mother was feeling fine for a while (as fine as you feel in
labor I guess) then she started having trouble breathing.
Shallow, rapid breaths were all that she could muster, not giving
her full measures of air. A nearby nurse told her that she was
probably fine, just normal labor issues, and mom didn't know any
different, as it was her first child. A doctor was making rounds
of the women in labor, checking in here and there before going
back to the wounded. He asked how she was doing, and she replied,
but since she was short of breath, he could hardly hear her. He
listened a bit to Mom's stomach, and not hearing a child's
heartbeat quickly realized that these were symptoms of something
very serious for the mother and the child.
He quickly told the nurse that this baby had to come out, and
in a hurry! On with an oxygen mask… My mother was having a
even more difficult time breathing now… in short gasps that
barely brought in enough oxygen. If something didn't happen soon,
neither of us would survive. As her first child, she wasn't quite
sure of what to expect, and the doctor's urgency made her more
nervous and scared as the rolled her right into the delivery room.
The didn't have time for any anesthesia, the doctor told her,
they had to make things happen quickly… so after brief prepping,
the doctor gave her an appeaseotomy (with no anesthesia!) and
got me out. The umbilical cord had somehow gotten wrapped around
my neck, and was cutting off many things and disrupting others,
causing the breathing problems and nearly killing us both. But
with the skill of the delivery room staff, nurses and doctors,
I was brought out and my butt spanked, giving me the first breath
of life! Mother was fine as well and wanted to tell her family
of the new joy she had, so as she was recovering, she called her
mother and told them we were fine…. And then to the recovery room.
In at 8:30ish am and I was born by 11:30am… it was a quick, but
quite a dramatic and tense few hours!
We both survived with no permanent damage, and I'm here
today to write this missive of thanks. I don't know the names
of the nurse but Dr. Mastin saved both of our lives! and I'm so
glad they were there for us!
I offer my eternal gratitude to:
To my mother for going through such
pain and danger to give birth to me… not to mention
the messes I caused growing up! 8-)
To the Nurses that helped my mother
and called the Doctor.
To Doctor Mastin that realized what
was happening, saved my Mother's life, and gave me a
chance to live one.
Thank you.
Charlie Nichols
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