Love labour and birth

Roselyn was exhausted. The voices plagued her. “You’ll never survive both. Or rather… the second will not survive!” a jarring voice told her. She didn’t understand… why are they saying both and second? “There is only one!” Roselyn said in her head, just as another wave of pain hit her.

“Come on Roselyn. You can do this!” Kaelyn said, kneeling in front of her. Sabina was also kneeling beside Kaelyn, having her hand over Roselyn’s abdomen. “The baby is thriving so far. It really wants to meet you” Sabina said. Roselyn barely registered, as there was intense pain constantly coursing through her body. “I can’t do it anymore!” she gasped, holding the chair handles.

Kaelyn checked again. “Okay Roselyn. You have to push, the baby’s coming down!” she said, giving Roselyn a smile. Sabina used her superpower to relieve some of the pain. She had telekinetics, telekinesis and the power to turn objects and people invisible and visible only for others with superpowers. Kaelyn also had superpowers. She had the ability to fire molten silver, shape it how she wanted, increase and decrease the temperature, withdraw it and turn into an indestructible silver figure. Plus, Kaelyn had outstanding expertise in the medical field. Especially in the OB/GYN field, which was why she was assisting Roselyn in delivering her child. Roselyn, however, was not certain why she was being told to push. The baby was still high up and hadn’t descended, Roselyn could feel it.

“It’s not time!” Roselyn said, looking intently at Kaelyn and Sabina. They looked at each other and back at Roselyn. “Roselyn, I can feel the baby. It’s time to push!” Sabina said. “I can feel the baby as well. It’s descended down, so the only way is to push and deliver your baby!” Kaelyn said, checking Roselyn again. Nevertheless, Roselyn insisted.

Suddenly, the air filled with shadows. “They’re here! They’re here to kill me!” Roselyn said, trying to stand up. Though just as she got up, she gasped and almost fell. “Roselyn!” Sabina said, catching her. “I have to get out of here! I’ll get killed!” Roselyn said, before clutching her lower abdomen and winced in pain. Kaelyn and Sabina managed to get her back into the chair. “They’re going to kill me!” Roselyn cried, before clutching at her abdomen again.

Sabina looked around and nodded to Kaelyn. “I can sense the ones you’re talking about Roselyn. And I can hear them mumbling!” she said, before grabbing the lantern and torch. Kaelyn grabbed her OB-kit and moved closer to Roselyn and Sabina. “Ready?” she asked, to which Sabina nodded. Kaelyn drew a deep breath and started creating a silver dome around them. Just as the dome was almost finished, the door to the room opened. A man came running in, slamming the door behind him. They instantly recognised him. “Louie!” an exhausted Roselyn cried. Kaelyn and Sabina sighed a big sigh of relief as Louie rushed over.

“Honey, I came as fast as I could!” Louie said, kissing Roselyn. “Louie, there are spirits that are going to kill me!” Roselyn gasped, before wincing in pain. Louie looked at Sabina, who nodded. “Get closer to your wife and we’ll seal off, so the spirits can’t get to her” Kaelyn said before creating a large silver dome around them. “Baby!” Roselyn gasped, breathing becoming heavier. Louie sat himself behind her and supported her.

“Okay Roselyn. The baby is descending rapidly. You have to push!” Kaelyn said, grabbing the OB-kit. Sabina also knelt and assisted Kaelyn. “The baby is so high up! There’s no way I can push!” Roselyn gasped. “Baby, listen to Kaelyn; she knows what she’s talking about!” Louie said. Roselyn pushed, but insisted that the baby wasn’t far enough down. “Baby’s crowning!” Kaelyn said. Roselyn kept pushing, crying in pain. She was leaning against Louie, who was pale with worry. Sabina tried using her power to keep Roselyn calm.

“One more big push!” Kaelyn said, holding a blanket to wrap the baby in. Roselyn clutched Louie’s hand and gave another big push. “Here it comes. Okay, head born… baby born!” Kaelyn said. Roselyn leaned against Louie who kissed her. “Congratulations!” Sabina said, checking the baby’s vitals. “What is it?” Louie asked. “It’s a girl!” Kaelyn said, handing the baby to Roselyn. “Do you want to cut the cord?” Sabina asked Louie. Louie took the surgical scissors and, slightly shaking, cut the cord.

Roselyn kissed her daughter and Louie, but suddenly she felt something move inside her again. “Ow! There’s something wrong!” she said, looking at Kaelyn with frightened eyes. Kaelyn looked at her and checked her again. “There’s another!” she said, grabbing the OB-kit again. “What?” Louie said. Sabina put her hand on Roselyn’s abdomen. “There’s another baby!” she said, before getting a worried expression.

“What’s happening?” Louie asked, as Sabina took the baby from Roselyn and placed her in a little bed Kaelyn shaped. “Roselyn, you have another baby on the way! You have to push again!” Kaelyn said, kneeling again. “They were right! There were two!” Roselyn said, before holding on to Louie. Louie was frightened, but kept calm. “You can do this honey” he said, as Roselyn began pushing again.

After a few minutes, Sabina and Kaelyn were getting more anxious. Roselyn and Louie’s child wasn’t coming, despite Roselyn pushing as hard as she could. “This is taking too long!” Sabina said to Kaelyn, who nodded. “Louie, help us get Roselyn up!” Kaelyn said. Louie nodded and supported Roselyn.

“Giving birth standing up is hopefully more effectful for you” Kaelyn told Roselyn, who nodded and started pushing as hard as she could. Kaelyn checked to see if the baby was descending. “Great news! Standing up and pushing is helping the baby come down” she said. Louie smiled and kissed Roselyn, who gave a shaky smile back. Sabina kept checking the baby’s vitals.

“The baby is coming, but the vitals are worrying me!” Sabina said. Roselyn was exhausted, but when she heard that her baby was doing poorly, her strength returned. She pushed even harder. Kaelyn was still kneeling to catch the baby. “One more push! Head born… baby born!” she said, lifting the baby up to Roselyn.

Roselyn held the baby close, whilst Louie helped her sit back down. “Twin girls!” Kaelyn said, handing Louie the surgical scissors to cut the cord. Sabina checked the vitals once again and smiled a relieved smile. “She’s fine now. That last push, that helped in getting her out before something went wrong!” she said, before giving Roselyn her first baby so she could hold her twins. “They’re perfect!” Louie said, holding his daughters with Roselyn, and crying joyous tears.

Kaelyn and Sabina looked at the happy family and smiled. But Kaelyn saw the worry in Sabina’s eyes and Sabina saw the worry in Kaelyn’s eyes. Roselyn had only just given birth. She was exhausted after the difficult birth and didn’t have the energy to move. And staying was too dangerous, the spirits Roselyn had heard… they were after the twins. Louie and Roselyn’s daughters were in danger, and neither Kaelyn, nor Sabina, knew how to protect them all properly.

The End… for now

Annika let out a huff. Standing with both hands on her abdomen, she stood there rocking back and forth as a contraction took hold. “Ayden!” she gasped, taking half a step back to clutch the doorframe. Ayden stood up from the chair and ran over to his wife. “I’m here. I’m right here” he soothed, embracing his wife. Annika let go of the doorframe and draped her arms around Ayden. Leaning heavily against him, she swayed from side to side. “I can’t do this!” she finally gasped as the contraction ended.

Ayden brushed some sweaty strands of hair away from Annika’s forehead and kissed it. “Yes, you can. You’re amazing and so strong. Don’t give up sweetheart!” he murmured into her ear. They stood there, embracing as Annika experienced more and more contractions. “I think it’s time to go to the hospital” Annika finally groaned, after one particularly vicious contraction. “ Okay, I’ll get the car started. Be right back, sweetie” Ayden replied, kissing his wife before running to get the car started and put the bags in. Annika smiled and put her hands on the baby bump. “Time to meet you little darling” she murmured lovingly, feeling the baby kick. She breathed out before going toward the garage.

“Welcome Annika and Ayden, I’m Ingeborg, the senior midwife here” Ingeborg said, when Ayden wheeled his wife through the door to their hospital room. She helped them get comfortable in the room and then hooked Annika up to different monitors. “The contractions are five minutes apart” Ayden said, as he had been timing them ever since Annika first started noticing them seven hours prior. "Well, everything is looking good here. You're in good hands here, I promise” Ingeborg said, before asking if Annika was okay with being checked, to see how far she had dilated. Annika agreed and held Ayden’s hand as she was examined. “Seven centimetres. You’re moving fairly quickly to fully dilated, seeing the contractions here” Ingeborg informed the parents-to-be.

A few more hours passed, with Annika mainly using her breathing techniques from Lamaze class and soft vocalizing during the contractions. Ayden was always by her side, supporting her as she walked around the room. “Not too much longer, babe” Ayden soothed, as he massaged his wife’s lower back. “Too long” Annika whimpered, clutching her abdomen as another contraction hit. Just then, she let out a gasp and doubled over the bed. “Honey?” Ayden asked, worriedly stroking her back. Annika couldn’t reply, with other than some panicked whimpers. “Get Ingeborg!” she finally squeaked, rubbing her bump. Ayden nodded and ran over to the door. “Could we have some help in here please?” he asked loudly out into the corridor. Just a few seconds after, Ingeborg came sidling calmly but quickly toward him.

“What’s happened?” she asked Annika, who had sat down on the bed. “I felt something drop inside me” Annika said, blowing her cheeks out. “Let’s have a little check then, shall we?” Ingerborg asked, holding Annika’s hand. She nodded, and with her husband’s help, she shimmied up the bed to allow the midwife to check her progress again. “Nine centimetres. Would you like to deliver in bed or?” Ingeborg asked, as she finished the exam. “No, I have been planning a water birth actually” Annika said, as she hugged Ayden. Ingeborg nodded and went into the bathroom to start filling the tub. “Will you be on the side of the tub?” Annika asked Ayden, who kissed her sweetly. “No. I will be right in there with you, to help you catch!” Ayden replied, stroking his hand over the baby bump.

As the large circular tub was filling up, Ayden helped Annika undress and lower herself into the water. Then, he also took of his trousers and shirt and climbed into the water. “I’m right here darling, everything will be fine” he said, as Annika leaned against him. She didn’t respond as a contraction had just started, but she clutched his hands and tried breathing deeply. “There’s so much pressure…” Annika groaned, just as something shifted inside her. A popping sensation and a rush of fluids spilled into the water. “Oh my god… my water just broke!” Annika gasped, feeling an increase in pressure.

“That’s normal. It means your baby is descending soon” Ingeborg said, sitting on the edge of the tub. Annika clutched Ayden’s hands even harder and felt the baby move downward. “I feel like I need to push!” she announced through gritted teeth. “Are you sure honey?” Ayden asked, feeling a surge of nervousness. Annika nodded and breathed heavily, head bent forward. “I can check one more time if you want?” Ingeborg asked, to which Annika nodded. “Well, your wanting to push is justified. You are fully dilated Annika” Ingeborg said, as she pulled her hand out of the water. Annika nodded and leaned against Ayden, who held her even closer.

Another contraction set in, and Annika couldn’t resist the urge any longer. She gritted her teeth, put her chin to her chest and bore down. “It feels so weird!” she groaned, clutching her husband’s hands. The baby kept moving, as she pushed. “Good job baby, good job” Ayden soothed, massaging Annika’s lower back. Ingeborg was still sitting on the edge of the tub, occasionally peeking between Annika’s legs to check her progress. After twenty minutes and several pushes, Annika noticed a burning sensation that only grew. “I need to switch positions. Help me get on my knees?” Annika asked. Ayden and Ingeborg helped Annika flip over and she draped her arms around Ayden, heavily hanging on him.

“I need to push, it’s coming!” Annika groaned, pushing down as hard as she could. “I can see the head” Ingeborg announced. “Really?” Ayden asked, trying to look over his wife’s shoulder. He put her a bit at arm’s length and also peeked between her legs. And sure enough, there was their baby’s head; starting to appear. “Oh sweetheart, I can see our baby!” Ayden said, choking up a bit. Annika smiled a tired smile, before pushing hard once again. “Ow, it’s coming out! It burns!” she screeched, as the head came to a full crown before popping out. Ingeborg swiftly checked to see if the umbilical cord was around the baby’s neck, which thankfully, it wasn’t.

“I need to… kneel… upright! Catch baby…. with… Ayden!” Annika gasped, feeling the baby rotating. Ayden helped her up and moved his hands to rest on her thighs, as she drew a deep breath to push again. The contraction peaked quickly, and Annika cupped her hands under her baby as she pushed as hard as she could. Ayden quickly joined in catching their child, as with one final massive push; the body slipped out fully. “Ohhh…..” Annika gasped, looking down to see a baby, their baby; slide into her and Ayden’s hands. They quickly brought the baby up to Annika’s chest, as it began crying and flailing its arms.

“We did it, our baby’s here!” Annika said shakily, as she began crying. Ayden was also crying, and kissed his wife repeatedly all over her face. “Good strong lungs” Ingeborg said, as she helped drape a towel over the baby. “Wait, we didn’t see which gender the baby is” Ayden said, looking at Annika. Annika looked down and gently lifted the baby’s leg. “It’s a girl!” she exclaimed joyfully, crying even more. Ayden held his hand on his daughter's head, it was so soft and delicate. “I am so incredibly happy, darling” he said, kissing his daughter and then his wife.

“What should we name her?” Ayden asked Annika as they had moved to the bed after the water birth. Annika was nursing their daughter and looked up at her husband. “I don’t know… how about Aurora?” she suggested, stroking their daughter’s cheek. Ayden looked at the baby girl by his wife’s chest and felt his heart swell with joy. “Aurora is perfect!” he said, snuggling himself close to hold them both.

Together, Annika and Ayden sat in the hospital bed, holding their precious baby girl Aurora. And they knew that their lives changed forever the second their daughter was born.

The End