Page 127 of Fighting For Light
“Mom is the one who actually told me to call this place. She said it would be perfect for you, and I guess it is.”
A smaller contraction hits me, and I take deep breaths. It passes relatively quickly.
“Good?” Kai asks.
I nod and lean back against the pillows.
The door to our suite opens, and Doctor House and Lola stroll through.
“Alright, Mom and Dad, everything looks great. Your son just wanted to come early. So keep in mind this process can last for a while. We will come in to check on you every hour to keep tracking contractions. They are going to be irregular until you hit about six centimeters, and then you’ll be in active labor. We need you at ten in order for you to do a full push. We didn’t have a chance to ask because we wanted to make sure everything was okay, and now that we know it is, do you want an epidural?”
“No, I got this far. How much harder can it be?” I ask.
He smiles. “Well, it’s definitely not going to get easier, but it’s, of course, up to you.”
“I don’t want it,” I tell them again.
“Great, if anything feels odd, Mrs. Coldwell, let us know immediately. If you or your husband need anything, feel free to use the phone and ask. Are there any questions?”
“No. Kai?” I ask.
He glances at me and then at the doctor. “You’re sure my son is okay?” he asks.
“Yes, he’s great. It’s not unusual to have early births. Some are ready sooner than others. We move fast when we hear a mother is early because it could be a list of other things. We’ve ruled them out, though. She’s simply in labor earlier than anticipated.”
Kai rubs his chin. “Okay, thank you.”
The doctor shakes Kai’s hand, then he and Lola disappear through the door.
Kai grabs the chair to the side of the bed and drags it over without letting go of my hand. “I’m going to call the family.”
“Can you call Dad? He’d want to be here, but I don’t know how far away he is.”
He nods and starts tapping on the phone.
Not once does he let go of my hand.
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Kai
“You can do it,Cordi. One more push. You can do it.”
She looks at me, gritting her teeth as sweat covers her forehead and tears run down her face.
I keep wiping it away, and she keeps shooting daggers out of her eyes. It took a while, but once the doctor said she was fully dilated, it was time to push.
I intentionally didn’t do much research about this part of the birth. Not because I’m afraid of blood but because I knew it would make me more nervous than Cordi, and I need to be her strength right now. She needs me to root for her instead of thinking about how a baby the size of a small watermelon is currently exiting her body.
Her hand squeezes mine with surprising strength as she grits her teeth, bearing down to push this little miracle out. She screams behind her teeth and then falls back into the bed.
“Good job, Mama,” I tell her. She looks at me, then at the nurses wiping our son off and checking him for who knows what.
But it’s silent. My heart drops into my stomach, and Cordi’s hand squeezes mine again as seconds tick by what feels likehours. The nurse continues to tap his back, and then a shrill cry fills the air. I take a deep breath and check on Cordelia again.
“Good job, both of you. You’re a good team,” the doctor says.
“Is he okay?” Cordi asks.
