Twins? You've got to be kidding.

     I wasn't too fond of my obstetrician.  He didn't have much of a bedside manor with his patients.  On a scale of 1 to 10 I'd say he rated a low 2.  But I guess he didn't have to have a great re pore with any of us because there was no other choice.  He was the only OB - GYN in Klamath Falls and had all the patients he could handle.  If you didn't like him the only other choice was to go to a general practitioner.  While I was waiting in the waiting room one day, I saw him walk up to a patient who was eating a candy bar, grab it out of her hand, throw it in the trash, and walk walk back to his office without saying a word.  We all got the message.

     He never said much on my monthly visits other than, "Everything is just fine.  You are right on schedule."  He was a "stickler" on weight but never had to scold me those first months because I wasn't gaining any weight.  I was too sick.  But when I began feeling better, the weight went on and my tummy got big...FAST!  On my seven month visit he handed me a business card and said to take it to the hospital when I went.  All that was on the card was his name, address, and phone # like any regular business card.  On the back he scribbled something that looked like a lower case "z".  I didn't question him about the card ... just tucked it away in my purse and forgot about it.

     By my eighth month visit I had only gained 17 pounds, but I was HUGE.  I couldn't drive the new VW bus we had purchased because I couldn't fit behind the wheel. (No adjustable seats.)  I just knew the doctor had figured the due date wrong and I asked him about that at my next visit.  Then as kind of a joke I added, "or I'm going to have twins."  I had never seen that man smile until that day as he said, "Yes you are".  He then said, " I have suspected it for a while because I thought I had been hearing two heart beats, but it is easy to be hearing the front and back of the same baby.  But today the heart beats are at different rates.  There are definitely two."  (No ultra sounds back then.)  He told me that twins usually come early so expect them at any time.  At that same time he told me not to gain any more weight because I had developed toxemia which can worsen when you gain weight.  So here I am, expecting twins, having only gained 17 pounds and I can hardly eat anything.  This was CRAZY.  But I was too scared of my doctor not to do what he said.

     The next weeks were horrible.  I looked like hot air balloon.  My maternity smocks wouldn't cover the big cut out in the front of my maternity skirts. (No stretch panels) I had to hold the smock down when I walked in public.  I remember telling Jim that he didn't have to walk next to me because I was sure he must be embarrassed just being seen with me.  I slept sitting up on the couch because I couldn't breathe if I lay down.  Judy, Jim's teen-age niece came from Salt Lake to be there to help me when the twins came home, but after two weeks and no babies, she had to return.  It was now only a week before my real due date and I was still waddling around home ... and I mean WADDLING!  "Twins come early?"  Right!!

     It was four days before my actual due date that my water broke and I headed for the hospital.  But wouldn't you know that at the same time I arrived at the hospital, so did another of my doctor's patients.  Now the race was on.  Two women in labor and only one doctor and one maternity team of nurses.  Which one of us would the doctor choose?