EMBRACE YOU Lone(liness Book Two)(4)
"Oh, ow! This does not feel good!" I'm back to being petulant again. If this is labor, it can just stop and I'll find another way of getting this baby born. I feel a squeezing, not unlike menstrual cramps, moving from my back to my lower abdomen. Finally, it goes away. "I think that was a labor pain," I tell Marcus.
In response, he runs for the stopwatch he bought a few weeks ago. Then, he goes to grab a pillow and blanket, which he uses to make me as comfortable as I can possibly be.
"Water. Snacks. Ice." I hear my beloved husband muttering under his breath.
Thought becomes deed. Soon, the coffee table sports bottled water, ice and snacks and we both sip and nibble as the hours pass. Marcus, with his mathematical mind, keeps track of my contractions like a pro. Shortly before we hit the five-minute mark, he calls my midwife, who says, "Come on down! I'll be waiting!"
That sends Marcus into action. He slips into his heavy coat and wraps me into my coat and scarf. We've already had two good snowstorms.
"Marcus, you are not carrying me downstairs! I'm fully capable of walk - OW!" I crumple against his side and breathe through this latest contraction. "I don't want the two of us falling downstairs, so I will walk," I tell him.
Just as I sit in his car, I have another contraction, so he waits to buckle me into my seat. He runs back upstairs for our bags and locks the flat up tight. He's panting when he climbs into his seat.
"Okay. To the hospital," he says.
Somehow, he restrains the urge to drive like a racing maniac and we arrive at the hospital.
"Wait here," he tells me.
I can't do much else - I feel a whoosh and immediately think my water has just broken as I'm sitting in a veritable sea of wetness. He comes back with a wheelchair and a nurse. They both help me into the wheelchair, just as another labor contraction starts.
"Talk her through it! Gwen's waiting inside," the nurse orders.
We move through the cold, humid air to the heated interior. The nurse and Gwen take charge of me while the floor nurse waylays poor Marcus for our insurance information. Finally, fifteen minutes later, he strides into my room, stuffing his wallet back into the back of his pants.
"How are you?" he asks me.
"Definitely in labor, that's for sure! Gwen's chivvying the nurses to get the birthing room ready. I think I definitely want the water...OH, OWWWWW!"
"Look at me and breathe, Jo! In and out, in and out, good, you're doing well. You'll get on top of this one..."
He gives me no choice. I will get on top of these contractions. Once I manage to manage them, it does feel somewhat better - at least as much as labor can. I progress through the evening, walking, bending over a large ball and walking some more. Even though I'm getting more and more tired, I also feel my excitement building. I know that each contraction brings me just one step closer to actually meeting my little one, so that makes the pain somewhat easier to bear.
Gwen comes in, looking happy. She ties her hair back so it hangs down her back in a long, graying ponytail. "Okay, mum, let's check you. I get the feeling you're nearly there," she tells me.
Marcus helps me lie back on the hospital bed so Gwen can check my progress. When she's done, she looks at me and says, "You're there. Any time you feel the urge to push, let me know and go for it. Would you like to labor in the tub?"
"Yes! Please!"
Fifteen minutes and several good, strong contractions later, I slip into the tub, supported by Marcus. He's donned an old T-shirt and a pair of comfy sweatpants so he can bend over comfortably. As I feel contractions, he helps talk me through them, making me look into those gorgeous eyes - that's no difficulty!
Half an hour later, after pushing several times, I feel something beginning to happen. I feel my baby's head progressing down - painful, yet exciting!
Gwen leans over the tub on the opposite side and checks my progress.
"You're doing very well, Johanna! The baby's head is well engaged and not slipping back into you. We'll be birthing his or her shoulder in just a...whoa! Push!"
I do so, feeling my baby sliding further and further out of me. I wail from the exertions I am making. I see my baby's head! Then Gwen does something and I see a tiny hand, arm and shoulder! I keep pushing, wanting to meet my baby.
Minutes later, the baby is fully out of me, connected only by the umbilical cord, which is still pulsing with life.
"It's a girl!" Gwen gushes as she lays the wee one on my chest. She gives Marcus the scissors to cut the cord. She holds the spot where she wants him to cut. Looking uncharacteristically serious, Marcus squeezes the scissors shut and severs the lifeline between my baby and me. Tears are sliding down his cheeks.
Gwen motions to a nurse from the nursery, who takes my little Lizzie to check her out. While she's being examined, Gwen instructs me to continue pushing. What? More pushing? I comply, feeling the now-familiar squeezing sensation. I push the afterbirth out and feel ready to focus on the cries of my daughter. I'm impatient to hold and nurse her!
Gwen and Marcus help me out of the tub. Once I'm cleaned and dried up, I lie back in the bed, holding my gorgeous little Lizzie. She roots around, looking for sustenance. The baby nurse shows me how to position Lizzie's little mouth on my nipple.
"Make sure she takes your entire areola into her mouth. It seems like a lot, but she can do it. Otherwise, you'll be really sore when she feeds. She'll know exactly...yes, that's a smart little girl!"