My OB sent me to a hematologist, who I saw today, because I tested positive as a carrier of Factor 11 Deficiency, which means I could have an issue with blood clotting…

Hematologist: “So the reason we test your Factor 11 levels is because of the epidural. If you test below a certain level, it will not be safe for you to have an epidural when you give birth.”

Me: “Umm…so then what do I do?”

Hematologist: “Well. You just give birth.”

Me: 

Hematologist: “That was the end of the sentence. You just give birth. But, obviously, without the epidural.”

Me: 

Hematologist: “It’s perfectly fine. People give birth all the time without–”

Me: 

So yeah. I imagined the birth going something like this  but apparently it’s going to be more along the lines of this:

May god have mercy on all our* souls.

*Eric’s