Jungle Baby's Birth Story
/Oct. 21, 2019
We thought it was going to be an ordinary jungle day. We were wrong.
(But really, does “ordinary” ever happen in the jungle?)
Dawn. Monsoon rains soaked the jungle canopy throughout the night. At sunrise I waddled (38 weeks pregnant) through the sticky/sweet humid air to the car, prepared for a journey into Puerto Vallarta for a standard prenatal OB appointment with Dr. Laura Garcia. Walter (Tarzan) carefully chauffeured us on the delightfully lush yet horrifically muddy road to San Pancho. A 3-mile jungle road that ordinarily takes 15 minutes was a radically different for a pregnant passenger—nearly an hour of jostling as I cradled my beach ball belly and used my swollen feet to brace through the bumps and cobblestones. Pregnant in the jungle…what have I gotten myself into? Am I completely crazy? This is certainly not the first time I’ve wondered about sanity and Wildpreneur lifestyle! Trust the flow, I reassured myself with a deep breath (as I’ve done countless times before).
On route to Puerto Vallarta, a message pops up on my phone from Dr. Laura. “Your appointment has been moved to 6 pm. There is flooding in the city and we have no electricity at the clinic. The power should be back on this afternoon. See you later.”
Afternoon. We spent the day bouncing (or waddling) between taco stands, hardware stores and lumber yards—working through to-do lists for re-opening the Tailwind Jungle Lodge and finishing details for our new jungle home. The palapa bambino was a 2 month project that had turned into a 6 month ordeal. Oh Mexico… (catch a glimpse of my lessons in the manana culture in chapter 6 of Wildpreneurs (now available for pre-order!).
Evening. Exhausted from the heat and errands, we arrive at Dr. Laura’s office at 6pm. I collapse on the ultrasound table, ready to take a quick look at bambino’s development and head home. Instead, I notice Dr. Laura’s expression shift as she studied the monitor.
“I think I see a knot” she says.
“What do you mean?” Walter asks.
“A knot in the umbilical cord. It looks like baby lost weight this week. This could be why the baby has been measuring small for the last few months. Perhaps it’s not getting the nourishment it needs. The knot has likely been there for many months, the problem is that now it might be getting tight.”
“So what do we do?” Walter and I asked in unison.
“I’m going to stay at the office and carefully study these ultrasound images. I’m not yet 100% sure that it’s a knot. I would suggest that you go home, have a good night sleep and come back to my office tomorrow at 10 am—come prepared to stay.”
With this ambiguous development, we made the long journey back to the jungle.
Night. Home by 9 pm that night. Over-whelmed by the day and the possibilities of what tomorrow could bring, we added a few final items to our hospital bag, installed the car seat, tried to explain the situation to our yellow lab Paris (and of course to my parents!) and did our best to sleep.
Oct. 22, 2019
Dawn. In the early morning light I found my swollen feet waddling and my belly bouncing down the jungle road once again. By 10 am we were back in the doctor’s office, anxious for news. Dr. Laura greeted us. The verdict? “I recommend a c-section.” she said calmly. “You’re going to have your baby today. We could wait to have your baby naturally, but the knot could tighten and threaten the baby’s life.” Clearly, not an option. “Today you need to go check into the hospital by 1 pm. Right now, go eat—whatever you want! Now is the time to eat well, you’re going to need it.”
Noon. We sat together Freddy’s Toucan, a popular brunch spot in old town (romantic zone) Puerto Vallarta. Shock, excitement, nerves, fear. Thoughts spiraled…my last moments of being pregnant…tonight we’ll know if it’s a boy or a girl…c-section is major abdominal surgery…I’ve never had surgery before, am I ready for this…I’ve had 9 months to prepare for this…am I ready to be a mom? Are we ready to be parents?!
6: 30 pm. I’m wheeled into the delivery room. Mexican music plays gently in the background. A kind anesthesiologist reassures me that I’m doing great and everything will be just fine. He sways happily to the music. I’m numb from the waist down and feeling warm, fuzzy and happy. Walter’s eyes smile at me from behind his hospital outfit.
6: 57 pm. A cry never to be forgotten. Dr. Laura tells us that she’s going to let the cord pulse a moment. A moment later a tiny body is at my chest. Jungle baby has arrived—a beautiful boy. 10 fingers and 10 toes.
He’s a “pata salada” Dr. Laura tells us with a smile. Translation? “Salty foot.” A term for baby’s born in Puerto Vallarta.
Welcome this wild and wonderful word baby Zephyr. Our hearts are so full and excited for this life adventure. You are the first Mexican in our family!
Curious to know more about our jungle adventures and Wildpreneur lifestyle?
