Olga Guzman
English 101
Gaylene B. Croker
Wed 6:00-7:50pm
February 23, 2011
My Incredible Journey…
Blaaaahh!!! As I sat up to catch my breath from all of the vomit that was coming out of my mouth and nostrils. I figured I must have been sick from something I ate the day before. “Maybe it was those fish tacos I ate, or that chili cheese dog.” My older sister Norma walked in, “Is something wrong?” she asked. I stood up to look at myself in the big oval mirror. My face was as pale as a white linen cloth. My eyes were red as cherry tomatoes, and my breath smelled like a garbage can. “Yes I am fine. I must have eaten something that was not fully cooked.” My sister asked “How long have you been feeling nauseas” Norma pulled her hair up in a bun and was getting ready to head to work. “Oh just for the past couple of days.” My sister looked at me with a squint in her eye, if I were lying to her about something. “Why are you looking at me like that, Norma?”
I began to clean the restroom. “Are you pregnant” she asked. I immediately stopped what I was doing. I turned to look at my sister with disbelief. I thought to myself I cannot believe she just asked me that. “No, ha-ha your funny I highly doubt it.” “Are you sure?” I froze like a brick wall. Not knowing what to respond to my sister. “I am not 100% positive.” Norma reached in her bathroom drawer, and scrambled through her personal belongings. I heard a crackling sound, like a plastic bag. She handed me a long, skinny, plastic like stick. “Here’s a pregnancy test. Take it then call me with the results. I’m running late for work.” I watched her scurry to the door.
I walked out of the restroom, and climbed up the stairs. I felt frightened and unsure if I wanted to know the truth. I picked myself up from my comfy bed. I walked towards the bathroom, and opened up the pregnancy test. Hesitating for a few minutes I decided to take it. I placed the test on the bathroom counter. The instructions read: “Leave for three minutes for results.” I stepped out pacing back and forth. It seemed like an eternity. I kept my eyes on the clock. I watched every second go by. Tick tock tick tock. My palms commenced to sweat. My heart pounding what felt like a thousand miles per hour. One minute two minutes three. The test was ready. Hesitating to walk in the restroom, I took a deep breath. I swung open the door and grabbed the pregnancy stick. I took a glimpse at the small box, and there appeared two red lines. “Does this mean that I am pregnant or that I’m not?” I grabbed the instructions and read: “One line means no pregnancy two lines mean pregnant.” I could not believe it. “Me pregnant. No way! This is not happening to me.” I had no words or reaction.
All of a sudden all of these emotions took over me. I felt sad, shocked, happy, angry, confused, and unsure. I began to cry thinking my life is over. “I’m much too young to have a child.” I immediately called my boyfriend Joseph to tell him the news. When I told him I was pregnant he was in shock. He did not know what to say. Feeling confused about the whole situation I called my mom Maria for her advice. She told me, “It is a wonderful experience, and its part of growing up. You’re just taking the next step in life.”
During this time my boyfriend Joseph and I had been living together. We had been a couple for over three years. I was turning twenty one and he was twenty two. And now we both were about to embark on a whole new other level. We are about to become a family and learn how to be parents. For the next several months I experienced my pregnancy, which included me vomiting every morning. I ate every two hours, and especially the oddest things. I woke up every night at around three in the morning to grab a bite to eat. I watched my belly grow month by month. Becoming exhausted at times, and having incredible energy of cleaning everything, I would reorganize my room, the kitchen, and pantry, pretty much anything in plain sight. I would go on my afternoon walks, and I read all the baby books. Joseph and I were uneasy when we first found out. After a few months of experiencing my pregnancy I began to love it. Towards the end of my ninth month I started to feel sluggish and tired. If I stood on my feet for more than twenty minutes, I felt as if I would run out of air. I had to sit down to catch my breath.
Waking up one morning I began to feel strong pains. The sharp pains got closer and closer. I shoved my boyfriend and told him, “I think I started to get contractions. The baby is coming soon.” He grabbed our things and started the car. We hurried to the Ventura County Hospital. We arrived and were directed to our room. The nurse walked in and put me on machines that made loud beeping sounds. “Hi Olga. My name is Susie and I will be your nurse.” I felt nervous. My doctor came in Dr. Lopez and checked me. “False alarm” he said. He told us we could go back home. “No baby yet, but he’s on his way. Just make sure you walk and walk.”
We arrived at my mother’s house. I started to walk and walk all day long until late into the night. I was exhausted so I went to bed. A few hours later I began to feel the most horrific pain ever. I felt as if a hammer were pounding on my stomach. I had intense leg cramps, and pain in my lower back. I woke up Joseph, “We have to go to the hospital!” He rushed to call my sister who was next door. I tried to walk down the stairs, and tried to catch my breath from the pain. We got into my car and drove off. We finally made it back to the Ventura County Hospital. I only remember being in excruciating pain, and yelling at the nurses. “Give me the epidural!!!” The nurse pushed a red button that directed her to the front desk. “Can we have the anistigiologist in here” He arrived and pulled out a needle that looked five feet long. He injected me in my lower back, and I finally had a bit of relief.
Finally in the early hours of the morning I felt like a big fat bowling ball was in my lower region. “I need to push!” I yelled. My mom, sister, and boyfriend were in the room with me. Susie walked in and prepped me for delivery. “Take a deep breath and push.” I was anxious and ready for my baby to come out. I turned to look at Joseph, and it seemed as though he had seen a ghost. I only recall seeing a ton of people in white coats and bright lights everywhere. The nurses were running back and forth. When finally I heard a baby cries. I turned to look at a squeamish, purple, alien looking baby. “That’s him my son” I said. Dr. Lopez placed him on my chest. My son and I looked into each other’s eyes and smiled. My boyfriend looking in disbelief picked him up and said, “Baby Joseph that’s what we’re going to name you.”
Afterwards felling relived and exhausted from all the pushing, I was sent back to my room. It had bright red curtains, old tile, and a 1980’s television. The bed felt hard as a rock. It had tons of pillows and blankets. Then in came my baby wrapped up like a burrito quietly sleeping. The nurses were in and out running test on little Joseph. I did not know if I was holding my baby correctly or if I was feeding him right. I felt so lost. “How am I going to do all of this when I’m home alone” Finally the day came that I was discharged. Even though I did not want to be at the hospital, I did not want to go home alone with my baby. Joseph told me, “Everything is going to be fine. Don’t worry I’m going to be with you every step of the way.” With him reassuring me I felt a lot better going home. For the next couple of weeks, it was quite a learning experience. We had to wake up every two to three hours to feed the baby. We learned to change our son’s diaper, and how to shower him.
Forwarding to where I am now I would not change a single thing. Little by little my son and I have grown together. What I have learned from having my son is: patients, responsibility, and the meaning of true love. It has been hard and challenging even to this present day. I have learned to adjust to difficult situations. And because of this incredible journey that I have taken I have become a more mature, responsible, and caring human being.
