CharismaticCrowe59o

The next few months went swiftly - though not swiftly enough for Tasha during some of her more uncomfortable moments. Here she was nearly 35 weeks pregnant and feeling utterly wretched. Russ was more in love with her than ever, claiming that he adored her swollen body. He rarely left her side now, what with her being so close to her time and all. She sat in the chair like a leech - unable to move unless someone pulled her up. She waddled like a bloody duck when she walked and her back felt like an 18 wheeler had run over it - repeatedly. The baby was constantly kicking her, so much so that Russ joked that if it was a boy it was sure to be an avid sports fan.

'Him and his damned Rabbitohs. Oh yes and I cant forget the All Blacks.' she thought, stifling a giggle. Of course, he was just like most other men in the world. There was always a sport somewhere that the local men seemed to drive themselves mad over. Russell was in the kitchen fixing her a sandwich, so she supposed she couldnt complain too much - even mentally. He'd been so good to her - doing anything she needed done. Yes, she was a lucky woman when she truly thought about it. He'd been wonderful.

He'd had to go overseas a few times during the middle stages of her pregnancy and after the last trip to the States he had sworn that he wouldnt go back until he could take her and the baby with him. So here they were, awaiting the birth of their first child.

They had finished the nursery last month so all that they lacked was the baby to go in it, although Tasha was planning on keeping the baby in a bassinett beside their own bed for a while due to the fact that she was planning on breastfeeding. It would be easier for her to feed the baby at night, although Russ insisted that she use the breast pump and some bottles so that he would be able to feed the baby as well. She certainly had no objections to that, wanting him to be just as involved in caring for their child as she was. Looking at the clock, she saw that it was a little after noon.

She was musing over these things when she felt a twinge in her back, what she thought was a "false labor" pain. She'd been having a few of those pains come and go over the last few days. The last trip to the doctor, they had told her she was 75% effaced so they knew the labor was soon to come. Suddenly the pain intensified tremendously. Taken by surprise, she clutched her stomach and moaned in pain. Russell pounded into the living room, asking if she was alright. All she could do was shake her head from side to side and groan. He knelt down by her side, timing the pain. At exactly 2 minutes, the discomfort on her face eased a little bit. Deep concern was etched into his.

"Tasha? Tash, love? Do you want to go to the hospital?" he said softly. She shook her head, knowing that if it was merely a stray pain they would send her right back home. Without warning, she felt an extreme urge to head toward the bathroom. That was rather hard, considering the awful trouble she had simply removing herself from the chair.

"Russ, help me up. I need to go to the bathroom." She said breathlessly. He pulled her up from the chair slowly and as he did, water gushed out from underneath her, coating the floor with sticky fluid. His eyes widened considerably. She looked down then back up at him, smiling sheepishly.

"Well, I suppose it is time to go to the hospital after all!" She replied. He nodded, finally breaking into a grin. He steered her out to the SUV, where he helped her in. Fastening her seatbelt, he went back into the house for the small bag of clothes she had packed. He tossed it into the backseat and then got into the driver's side for one of the longest drives of his life. When they were about 2 minutes from the farm, she moaned again. Holding her stomach, he watched the contraction ripple across the surface. Her face was twisted in agony as he timed the contraction.

'Ten minutes apart and about two minutes long each.' he thought to himself. He reached for her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze to let her know that somewhere in the depths of the pain he was there with her. The pain was receding and her breathing was returning to normal. They still had 20 more minutes to go until they made it to the hospital. He found that he was having to force himself to drive at a normal rate of speed. Groaning to himself, he tried to keep his mind focused on the road in front of him while clutching her hand and praying no one got in his way.

They arrived at the hospital 20 minutes and 2 contactions later. She was rushed back immediately. The nurse examined her, finding she was 100% effaced and dilated 5cm. 'Halfway!' Russell thought excitedly. They strapped monitors to her, hooked her up with an IV and asked her if she wanted pain medication. She grimly shook her head, determined to go natural if possible.

Her contractions increased in frequency and duration until 5:30pm. At this time, she was fully dilated and completely delirious with pain. Russell's hand hurt bad enough to make him wonder just how many bruises he would have, but he figured it was a small burden to bear compared to her tormented suffering. It made him glad to live in a time period and country where birth control was readily available as he wasnt sure he would be able to see her go through this ever again. He continued his encouragement, crooning gentle endearments to her. Wiping her hair with a cold rag, he kissed her forehead.

She groaned again, this time saying "I need to push! Oh, God..I need to push! The baby...the baby!" Russell was about to yell for the doctor, but she had already heard. Coming into the room in scrubs, she leaned over Tasha to peer down and feel around a bit.
"Aye," she said. "The baby's head is in the birth canal. Tasha, I want you to sit up just a bit. Russell, help her up, dear. Grab onto these bars, Tasha." The doctor indicated some protruding bars by her hips. "I want you to push just a little bit. If it looks like you are going to tear then we will need to do an episiotomy, so dont push too hard my dear."

Tasha groaned her agreement, barely able to nod her head. The pressure was almost more than she could bear. Red faced, she clutched Russ's hand as she pulled herself up a little.

"Alright, my dear. You can push now. Slowly." the doctor said.

Tasha grunted a little, pushing. She felt as though the whole world was reeling around her and the only anchor to reality was Russell soft voice murmuring in her ear. She held on to the sound of his voice as she heard the doctor say, "Stop pushing for a moment, my dear." When she did, they cut her just a little to allow the baby room to be born. Russell was leaning over her, eyes full of wonder as he spotted the small head.

He leaned back over her as they asked her to start pushing again. She wasnt aware of anything, so he gave her a gentle squeeze and encouraged her to push. She pulled herself weakly up again, tired and wanting this to be over. Russ noted the exhausted look in her eyes and held her up. She pushed several times with all her might. The first push freed the baby's head. The next push and the baby's shoulders were out and the child was caught in the hands of the doctor. She held the child up to the new parents.

"I'm happy to announce to you that you are the proud parents of a brand new baby boy!" She cried happily as their son took his first gasping breaths followed by a few mewing cries.

They both sobbed in relief and no small measure of joy as the doctor clipped the cord and handed the baby to Russ. He carefully took his son and laid him in Tasha's arms. As fatigued as she was, she held the baby to her. Tears streamed down Russ's face as he gazed on the scene before him. His beloved wife and their new son. It was almost more happiness than he could bear.