I was born on January 22, 1951, after what my mother has described as a long difficult labor for both of us. In those days, fathers were normally not allowed in the delivery room, but because my dad was a medical student, he was able to witness my birth. After I was born, Mom was placed back in her room to recuperate. She stood up, and gobs of blood gushed out of her womb and landed on the floor. The anxious young nurse in attendance took the pad from the bed, mopped up the floor with it, put it back on the bed, and instructed Mom to sit back down on it.