It's about time --3am(Tag Tyr, then eventually Juliet)

[mjrhoulihan]

Margaret couldn't sleep. She tried to be careful and quiet, trying not to wake Tyr getting up for the fourth time that night. She put on robe and slippers and padded into the nursery and turning on the light, taking a cloth to the furniture in case some dust had settled on it in the last fifteen minutes. She checked and re-folded and rearranged the

Comments

[mjrhoulihan]

As soon as she was released, Margaret pulled herself to a sitting position using whatever was handy-- the bedrail, Tyr. It wasn't the indignity, well it wasn't the indignity as much as it was the feeling of powerlessness in that splayed position.

"About being unarmed, don't make me regret that." She joked to Juliet.

"Not really pain...:" Margaret frowned trying to find words for the sensation, "It is like the feeling you get in a muscle when you are making an all-out effort," she laughed, "usually I have something to say about when I am going to be doing that."

In this situation, however her body was making that decision for her.

"Nothing I can't handle." She raised the head of the bed, and leaned back against it, settling in for the duration.

She felt another one building she took a deep breath, let it out and let her body relax, this time she used the short, panting breathing pattern, rather the long one to keep focused. They were getting closer together with less space between, but concentrating on keeping the rest of her muscles relaxed so they didn't interfere with the progress of her labor gave her a feeling of control, and as long as she had that, she could deal with just about anything.

As soon as the contraction ebbed, she looked over at the monitor. The babies heartbeats had accelerated at the beginning of the contraction, and stayed strong through the whole thing, not slowing again until after it was over. Good. She smiled.

"We're fine."

[kodiak_tyr]

Everything was going as it was supposed to and it was mostly waiting on his part. His anxiety was high but only another Nietzschean would know it, or someone who knew him extremely well. He didn't pace or anything else most expectant fathers would do. He was watching his wife and the monitors and everything else, appearing as calm as ever.

"If you need anything, I'll be here." This was for the doctor's sake mostly, since Margaret already knew that.

Unless you need him, he'll just watch from now on until they're born. That'll help things go faster. Also, all of the tags are now one word per line for some reason, so it's weird reading them on the journal.

[island_juliet]

"There's no need for me to hover then," she said as she looked at Margaret. I'll check in every few minutes, but you know your body better than any stuffy doctor with a degree. If you need to get up, walk around, yell at me from the doorway..."

Juliet smiled. "I'll see you in a little bit."

[mjrhoulihan]

Several hours passed, the contractions getting closer and closer together and stronger. Finally there came a time when Margaret came as close to needing a man as she ever had.

"Tyr?" she reached out for him. Just needing his solid bulk to lean her head against. She rolled her head back and forth against his warm solidity as the contraction rolled through her...and she could cope. But she was beginning to wonder how much more there would be--how much worse things would get.

[island_juliet]

After a little while, Juliet came back in and did some checking of Margaret.

"You're moving right along, these babies were ready. It'll be time to push soon. How are you doing pain wise? We're coming up on it being too late to decide you want an epidural. If you don't want one, that's fine, but you can't change your mind later."

She checked all of the monitors, saw that everything was fine and looked back at Margaret. "Which position do you feel like would be most comfortable for you to push in?"

[mjrhoulihan]

That she was getting close, gave Margaret new energy, she was sweaty, and tired but she looked up at Juliet with a smile.

"Oh good. No, the pain--still isn't really pain, it's like really, really hard work with already sore muscles." There was a difference, perhaps only in Margaret's mind, but there it was. As to the position in which to push,

"Up." Margaret was terse, and firm. She was NOT going to get back in those stirrups.

[island_juliet]

"Gravity is probably going to be your best asset, so up all the way or even squatting until the babies each start to crown might help."

[mjrhoulihan]

Margaret nodded, and settled, sitting up, leaning forward on Tyr's, resting her head on his solid shoulder, rolling it back and forth during the contractions. He was watching the monitors, she could relax about that. He would let her know if there was any trouble.

She was close, she could do this, each contraction, once done, was never going to come again.

She was so focused on relaxing, working with the contractions, that she was unaware of time passing.

The next thing that did grab her attention was the so called 'urge to push'. There was no 'urge' there was an urgent NEEED to push.

Margaret was a nurse, she knew that a woman shouldn't push unless she was fully dilated. She knew she should wait to be examined...but what she did was make sure neither Juliet nor the nurse was looking, and very quietly, no loud grunts, or getting red in the face, very stealthily started to push.

"nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnngh,"

[island_juliet]

Juliet looked over at the sound and eyed her sharply. "I would hate for something to tear. Then you'll have to use the stirrups while I stitch you up," she said casually.

[mjrhoulihan]

Margaret ignored her for the duration of the contraction, pushing was so great a relief it was nearly bliss, and she was not going to stop till the contraction was over.

Then she laid back far enough, and spread her knees far enough for Juliet to check her -- quickly. She had not a shred of modesty left, she was too busy getting ready to have these....flipping babies.

"Oops."

[island_juliet]

Juliet put on gloves and pulled a stool to the edge of the bed. One nurse flanked each side of her with receiving blankets ready.

"Good think you're ready to push then," she said as she looked up. "Are you ready to have a couple of babies?"

[mjrhoulihan]

"More than," Margaret said, and pulled her self up again, with Tyr's help into an ungainly squatting position, the next contraction started, was pushed through, ended, Margaret could feel that the baby had moved down the birth canal.

The next contraction hit, and Margaret couldn't not push even though it felt like she was being split open. She pushed even though she was saying "ow. ow. OW." with great meaning and deep feeling. The end of one cleched hand thumped into the solid bulk of Tyr's shoulder in time, one thump per 'ow.'

[island_juliet]

"Take a deep breath Margaret and get ready for the next contraction. I can see the top of a head, you're doing great. Give me one big push, okay?"

[mjrhoulihan]

The contraction ebbed and Margaret leaned against Tyr, head resting on his shoulder and rested. She nodded weakly to show that she understood.

She had nearly two minutes reprieve before the next one took hold, she bore down, and pushed, the repeated "Ow," became more guttural, more primal, nearly animal. Not just an admission of pain, but a protest against it, a war cry.

Her tissues stretched, and tore, but she kept pushing until with a tremendous feeling of relief, the first baby's head was out, and the pressure eased.

[island_juliet]

"Good, good, good Margaret. I have the baby's head. Your next pushes should be short, not as hard. We just need to ease the baby out."

[mjrhoulihan]

Margaret didn't even wait for the next contraction, she began pushing, more gently, letting Juliet check to make sure there was no cord around the neck, and to east the shoulders out, and then, suddenly, there was a slippery rush, and the first baby was out.