Authors: Jay M. Londo
“Sure, not a problem little sister. Will you do me a favor though, will you stop worrying? Well look at you, my little sister is about to give birth to her first child, and your still concerned about others, yes I would had to say, you’re going to make a great mother, you are so wonderful with your nieces, they adore you.”
“Oh Marym here comes another contraction, oh!!!”
“Hana, why don’t you try taking a deep breath - breathe slowly in and out each time they appear.”
“Hey why don’t you let me get you another pillow, prop your head up some more, so you could be more comfortable.”
“Oh Marym, is anyone going to fetch my husband? I would not want him missing this!”
“Oh sweetie, relax would you, his father is already on his way up to him now, and everyone else is on their way here! They had to close up the store. Soon your whole family will be by your side.”
Just then, the doorbell rang. “Hana I will be right back, that must be the good Doctor, I will show him in.”
She ran down stairs to greet our guest, “Hello Doctor Gorski! So good to see you again!”
“Hello Marym, you look particularly well today! How are the kids doing?”
“I am doctor! Oh, they’re both growing like weeds. I wish they
could stay
babies forever.”
“It is amazing how they do that, so how is Hana doing Marym?”
“Well her water broke about a half an hour ago, and she just had another contraction before you arrived here, I think that was her second or third one.”
“And where is our mother to be?”
“Oh Doctor Gorski she is up stairs in her bedroom. Do you remember where it is?”
“Yes of course my girl, been there many times nursing the two of you girls back to health over the years. Too many times to count!”
A little laugh, “Oh you’re right, I apologize, I should had remembered that, I guess I am just so excited and nervous for my sister! Say doctor could you go ahead and go up to her alone. I need to clean up a mess in the kitchen.”
Just then, many of the family members all loudly came in through the front door. The air in the house was now filled with the excitement for the upcoming new baby!
Momma said, “Well hello Doctor Gorski, good of you to come, and on such short notice, I am surprised that you beat us here.”
Then my father being a good host, “Say doctor, before you go up come had a belt with me. It’s the vodka Abram made!”
“Sure why not!”
“Here you go doc, cheers!”
“Wow that is smooth isn’t it?”
“Yes it is! Now what do you say, we go get me a new grandchild, Doc when you are done delivering my daughter’s baby, I had some new cigars, and we could had a few more toasts.”
“I will take you up on that!”
Abram’s mother as well as my mother, and father followed the good doctor upstairs to my room. I could hear the stairs squeaking upon their arrival. They walked into me having yet another contraction, my second in many minutes.
The doctor was smiling, carrying his black tattered doctor bag, “Well hello Hana, well it would appear the big day had arrived, funny I remember the day that I delivered you! Come to recall it was in this very room.”
Unable to answer him, being locked in the throes of my contraction. “I screamed out! My mother dashed over and held onto my hand, to attempt in her own way to comfort me, when she saw what was going on. It was clear to me this time her lovely approach just was not going to work.
Poppa then too came over, whispered in my ear, “I love you little bear, you hang in there, it will all be worth it. Next time I see you, just think my little bear will had had a cub of her own.” He kissed me on my cheek his eyes were moistening up as he did. He left the room without saying anything more.
The doctor then grabbed my attention, “Hana its necessary from me to check you out, I had to determine how you’re developing. So what I would like you to do for me is bend your legs, and open up your legs as wide as you could for me, all right dear? I know this is uncomfortable for you. “I tried to oblige.”
Then the doctor asked, “Oh could one of you lovely ladies go fetch us some towels? I would like you to place a couple
of these towels underneath her,
to p
rotect the sheets, and mattress
it could get messy. Meanwhile I am going to use your bathroom, and wash up scrub my hands before I go ahead and examine you dear, I will be right back, hang in there.”
My mother-in-law asked me to lift my but up off the bed, so she could get the towels placed under me. She used one towel on top of the other. Then she modestly slipped my panties off. Now here is a little tip to any women thinking of having a baby. Modesty and childbirth is an oxymoron. I through this day would discover over the next several hours, at first, I was in fact embarrassed by how I was being forced to display my genitalia, but once those contractions piled on one another, I could care less who was seeing me, I just wanted to get that little beast out of me. So now, I had three separate people looking at me down there. Even the doctor seeing me, well he was doing more than just seeing me. Then that number grew when to my surprise, my aunt and my female cousin showed up as well to watch the birth
- it
was a good thing we had a close family. It seemed none of them had a problem with it, I guess it was just me. Of course, none of them was exposing themselves. I was quite embarrassed. I just really wanted to get this over with; I was quite scared terrified.
The doctor began examining me, using his fingers he reached inside my vagina - only one other man had ever touched me there. “Hana I want you just to try and relax, take a deep breath, if you start getting worked up, then your
baby will as well, we do not want to stress the baby. I had to stick my fingers inside to check to see how dilated you are, so just try to relax!” it was the most uncomfortable sensation ever – rivaling even the sharpest peak of a contraction. I felt another take me over as he stretched my cervix. “Well it appears you are about five centimeters dilated. We had a ways to go. You need to be fully dilated - which is ten centimeters - before I will had you start pushing. I do not want you pushing until then. I want you to just try to relax, and when your contractions come all over again, try focusing on your breathing. Oh and I do not want you drinking anything, you could keep your lips moistened if you need to. Well you heartbeat sounds good. I will check on you in a little while, I will tell you
what Hana
, we will get through this together.”
That’s when my mother asked, “Oh by the way, Doctor Gorski you know I had some of your favorite, fresh baked Strawberry Paczki, I just made a batch just this morning - I could make a fresh kettle of coffee to go along with the Paczki, that is if you’re interested!”
“Well that would be truly splendid; you know how much I love your Paczki’s Mrs. Wakstok – it is the best in town. Could you cut me a larger slice?”
“My sister and mother-in-law stayed put in the room with me, to keep me company, I was thankful to
have
them both there.”
“Marym where is my husband? Would not you think he should be here by now? I do not want him missing his child’s birth.”
She sat down on the bed beside me, looked down at me, and smiled. She then gently ran her hand through my hair, trying it loosely in a knot at my neck to keep it off my face. “You should not be worried; he will be here any moment I promise. And trust me when I say he will not miss it!”
Just then, I was being overtaken by another contraction, I tried everything to get through it. I breathed through it, but I found it was best if I screamed.
In the middle of it all, Abram excitedly came rushing in through the door. Seeing him calmed my nerves. He looked pale, he got down on one knee, so we could look eye-to-eye, “My wonderful darlings you ok Hana my love, how are you and the baby? Sweetie I am here now!”
“Oh good you made it! Oh, I am so glad you are finally here! I was worried you would miss it!”
“Oh I would had been here much sooner, but three of the calves got loose, after a broken tree branch brought down a small section of fence, on the back of the property. They were making an escape for the woods. I had to get them rounded up before I could come home. But hey! I am here now that is all that is important.”
I
gazed into his baby blue eyes
they were all lit up. I could not help thinking how beautiful his eyes were. “Honey I guess it will not be long, and the two of us will finally be parents! Holding our baby together. So are you excited?”
I reached out and brought him in close, and like that, we gently kissed one another, Marym could see that we wanted to give each other a little bit of loving, so she decided to let us had a couple of moments alone.
He answered, “In answer to your question as silly as it was - of course I am - it’s all I could think about! I had been so distracted thinking about it.”
We began kissing, that is just about the time when my
warden
Mother? Showed back up, and she came back in the room. “All right lover boy, there will be plenty of time for that later - you need to get going now. Abram, why don’t you go ahead and down stairs now? I am sure the men of the family will keep you company, go had a drink - I am sure they are by now, it will help relax you, you look like a wreck. This is a women’s place, Abram try to calm down, and she will be just fine. She is in very good hands, the doctor’s here. I do had to warn you, do not be alarmed, because this may take awhile; my husband will walk you through it.” Then she showed him off from the room.