The Baby Story, Part 2

I was still pretty tired and wanting desperately to head back to our house to fulfill my nightly sleeping quota. This was the real deal nonetheless and Sarah was beginning to transition nicely. Sarah was wheeled into her room and hooked up to her monitor. She was diagnosed with Group B Streptococcus so she had to have an extra IV to treat it.

Almost suddenly and without warning, I recall Sarah beginning to move into pretty heavy labor. We had been at the hospital all of one hour! We'd attended a four week birthing class, so I snapped into ultimate husband coach mode. I reached in my pocket and snatched out my whistle and the cadence began. Yeah, right! Sarah didn't want any part of it. The only counting cycle that day would've been me inspecting knuckle prints on my forehead. I'm exaggerating. Sarah, though beginning to travail, was very pleasant to be around.

I remember just doing whatever she told me to do. I watched her move into deep monster contractions. Sarah was doing so well. I'd never seen Sarah work with such intensity. The combination of the faces she was making, and watching her deal with the pain of the contractions made me cry. I could tell she was getting tired. It went on for what seemed like hours.

Sarah's plan all along was to go natural, but the nurse suggested, that because the contractions were coming so heavy and they were lasting so long, she may not have much strength to push when the baby came. We were believing to not have to medicate during the process, but we decided it was better. And thank God for whoever came up with the blessed epidural. After it was administered, it was smooth sailing. Sarah actually had the opportunity to take a nap, and I without hesitation, joined her...