My husband and I arrived at the hospital for the birth of our first child at noon. Before we left home, we had contacted all involved parties: a Christian Science practitioner, a state-certified nurse midwife, and a Christian Science nurse.
First the midwife performed a routine monitor check. Right away she was concerned about the results, because they showed the baby's heart rate decreasing with each of my contractions. She had me move my body into various positions, but this did nothing. The midwife said she was concerned that the birth was many hours away and that it would be harmful for the baby to be under stress for an extended period.
At 1:30 p.m. her colleague, an obstetrician, recommended a Caesarean operation to deliver the baby. He agreed to hold off the operation for one hour.
