I'm waiting for the musical.

I am the very model of the modern Actuarial
I've knowledge mathematical and statistical...

---

Does she have a lamb that follows her around and tried to attack you?

No, but it followed her to school one day, which was against the rules.

---

Erin!

It makes me really sad when I hear horror stories about hospital births.

Yeah, me too. And I've heard some nasty ones, including from people who've worked them. OB care in this country is, in many ways, still in the dark ages, and there's a lot of crap in a lot of hospitals that simply doesn't need to happen. The teaching hospital I went to just happens to be pretty progressive on a lot of issues. Like letting a laboring woman eat, drink, and move.

None of which, you'd think, would be things that should be considered progressive instead of common sense, and all of which helped me a lot. Between tradition-bound OBs and malpractice fears, there's a lot of CYA stuff that happens, most of which hasn't been proven to improve outcomes. Makes me sad, but it's just part of the way medicine is practiced in the US in a lot of ways. Hell, that's one of the reasons my mother got out of it.

(Well, after 4pm, being allowed to eat didn't help. I did have them add the superdigesto quick stuff that's used in case of emergency section to clear your stomach to my drip when the unsatisfying Snickers was upsetting said stomach and I was unable to puke and it was making me miserable. But drinking as much watered down juice as I wanted really kept my energy up, and I think I ate the cold roll from my room meal, which was delivered an hour and a half before I did, almost as soon as I was done with that whole birthing thing.)

Being present as a caretaker during such a profound event is a privilege, and that part of it shouldn't ever be forgotten by MDs or RNs or anyone else, no matter how complicated the medical situation is.

Amen.

---

I wonder if Jilli will let me borrow a hatpin so I can poke my eyes out with it?

Er, no, because I'd like you to have working eyes. I'm kinda odd that way.

---

Durn it all.

I saw a preview for The Corpse Bride last night. I think Joe and I are going to make a date of it next weekend and go.

---

MEMO

TO: Security
FR: Aimee

IT'S A LOT EASIER TO DO YOUR FREAKING FRELLING FRIGGIN GORRAM JOB IF YOUR FRAKING HEAD WASN'T LODGED IN YOUR COLLECTIVE POSTERIORS!

---

vw mentioning the poster for Not One Damsel in Distress: World Folktales for Strong Girls [link] made me smile to remember it. It lived on my wall for years and years before it said it wanted to go see the bug now.

billytea in smut is so nice and, yeah, there was swoon.

Aimee, how 'bouts we swap work locales and nemeses for the day and kill the asshats? It's too cunning a theory to be found out...

---

I didn't want to eat at all during labor, but I could've if I'd wanted to. I had some water, which was about all I wanted.

About 10 minutes after I got to my suite on the top floor of the hospital, they came in and filled the minibar with juice and water and soda, and left a tray with champagne on ice and a bottle of Johnnie Walker. About 3 minutes after that, they came in and asked if I wanted pork tenderloin with gravy or fettucine alfredo, and then left the meal I chose.

And about 5 minutes after that, they came in with a big package of Tylenol 3.

It was great.

---

billytea in smut is so nice and, yeah, there was swoon.

I'm quite sure he's in smit. He wouldn't even paint us a blurry water color about the smoochies. The smut was already in your brain. You got the bonus plan.

---

You gotta be impressed that there were smoochies the first time he met her in person!

(of course, that seems to be a Buffista thing).

And, billytea, WTF is up with your Parliament? Banning "mate" as a form of address? [link]

---