Oh Baby
Jo didn't go into labor that night, or over the next two weeks, no matter how much they tried. In fact, her due date had come and gone and still no signs of labor. She had tried everything; sex, spicy foods, walking, and she had gone and gotten pedicures with Lindsay and Abbie. Nothing was putting her into labor, and she had lamented to Lindsay during their day of pampering that this baby was never going to come out.
On Friday, November 19th, four days past her due date, Jo got up and got ready for work. She didn't feel bad really, just not right, a little crampy maybe, she couldn't exactly put her finger on what she was feeling. She shook it off and hurried to the diner. They were especially busy that morning and somewhere in the back of her mind Jo noticed that her cramping was becoming more intense and she would have to stop and catch her breath every so often. She tried to not focus on her pain and kept pushing through waiting on her customers with a smile. Everyone else working in the diner was so busy as well; they didn't notice her discomfort either.
As Jo was rushing between two tables she suddenly felt a pop very low in her belly and then without warning a gush of fluid came pouring out of her. Horrified she made her way back to the kitchen as quickly as she could dropping the tray full of food she was carrying on the counter as she passed by. Pat looked up from the eggs she was frying when she heard the commotion. She caught sight of Jo's face flushed red with embarrassment and tears in her eyes. "Jo, honey, what happened? What's the matter?" She wiped her hands on her apron and hurried to Jo's side.
"I… I think my water broke… everyone saw and the floor is all wet now and… and it won't stop. The water won't stop coming and ahhhh. It hurts!" she clutched her stomach as a contraction wracked her body. The pain had gotten much worse since her water broke and the contractions were coming more often.
"Okay, Jo, it's going to be okay. We need to get you to the hospital," Pat soothed rubbing the scared young girl's back.
"I need Alex," Jo insisted moving to the phone on the kitchen wall. She picked the phone up but dropped it again as another contraction seized her body. She hunched over breathing hard.
"You can call him when you get to the hospital. Come on," the diner owner tried to usher Jo out to her car grabbing a handful of towels.
"No! I'm not going anywhere without Alex. He can come get me," Jo demanded and once again picked up the phone. She was able to make the call between contractions. "Alex, I'm at the diner and my water broke. I need you to come get me. I need you to take me to the hospital. I need you," she ended in a broken voice.
Alex's heart was pounding as he grabbed the bags they had packed for the hospital. They were so ready to meet their son, but they weren't ready. He rushed out of his apartment and down the stairs. Jace was just turning into the parking lot as Alex stepped outside. He flagged the other man down. Jace opened his door and got out, "Alex what's up?"
"Jo's water broke. She's at the diner and has the car. Is there any way you could give me a ride over there?" Alex asked relieved to see his friend. It wasn't very far to the diner but he didn't want to take the time to walk. He needed to get to his wife.
"Oh yeah of course, hop in," Jace answered getting back in the car and starting it up. When they got to the diner Alex jumped out almost before the car was in park. "Hey, good luck, man. Tell Jo we are thinking about her," Jace called after the retreating man.
Alex threw the bags in their car and hurried into the diner looking around for Jo. She was peeking out of the kitchen and saw him come in. She rushed over to him and wrapped her arms around his neck. He held her close and whispered soothing words into her ear. When the next contraction swept over her body she gripped his shoulders and buried her face in his neck breathing heavy through the pain. Pat offered Alex some towels for the car seat and helped him escort Jo to the passenger side.
They made it to the hospital and got checked in and then were brought up to the labor and delivery unit. Jo was showed to a room and given a gown to change into. They were informed her nurse would be right with them. After putting the gown on, Jo sat down on the edge of the bed and looked at Alex, "I'm so scared Alex. This is going to sound stupid but I want my mommy. I don't even know her, I've never met her and she abandoned me but all I can think of is I want my mommy." Tears slipped out of her eyes and Alex's heart broke. He pulled her into his arms and held her close against his chest. Another contraction hit and Jo stood up leaning on Alex and swaying back and forth. He rubbed her back as she rode out the pain.
That's how the nurse found them when she entered the room. She smiled softly to herself. When the pain had subsided, Jo stood up straight and looked into Alex's eyes. "Thank you for being here with me. I don't think I can do this, but I know I can't do it alone."
"Of course I'm here. Where else would I be?" he wiped the tears off her face and kissed her forehead.
They stood there quietly gazing into each other's eyes until the nurse cleared her throat. Jo looked up and broke into a smile. She was relieved to see Trisha, the nurse from the birthing class, standing in the doorway with a clipboard in her hands. "Hi Jo, Alex," she addressed them, "Today is the big day huh?"
"I guess so," Jo answered with a shudder and then reached for Alex again as she felt the now too familiar pain of a contraction starting.
"Okay after this contraction we are going to have you lay down in bed so we can put the monitors on. We will get a look at what your contractions are doing and make sure your baby is looking good and then I can let you up to move around the room again if you would like," Trisha said as she was preparing everything. Jo complied and got in bed. Trisha hooked the monitors up and had Jo sign some necessary paperwork. She did a physical assessment and explained she would need to check Jo's cervix to see how much she was dilated. Jo squeezed Alex's hand and prepared herself for the uncomfortable exam. "Wow, Jo, you are already six centimeters dilated and your cervix is completely thinned out. You are doing a great job. What time did your water break?"
Jo huffed through a contraction and then answered, "It was about an hour ago now, I think it was about five til seven."
The nurse made a note of the time and glanced at the clock; it was now 7:45. "And when did the contractions start?"
"I'm not really sure. I didn't feel right when I woke up this morning but just ignored it and went to work and at work I was so busy I didn't really notice when the pain started getting bad until my water broke," Jo shrugged.
"Okay, that's fine. Your baby's heartbeat looks great and you are having contractions about every two to three minutes. I'm going to call Dr. Welch and give her an update of what's going on. Then I will be back to start an IV and we will give you some fluids. And we can get you an epidural if you want," Trisha explained everything.
"I don't think I want an epidural," Jo said unsure of herself. She glanced at Alex to see what he thought. He just shrugged back at her.
"Well I will let you two discuss it. There is still time to decide. I'll be right back," the nurse excused herself.
Jo looked to Alex and said, "I'm scared to get an epidural Alex, but I don't know how much worse this pain is going to get."
"Jo, don't be scared. People do it all the time and are okay. I just want you to be okay. I hate seeing you hurt. I think you should get it if you want," Alex tried to encourage his wife.
"I don't think I need it; I want to try to do it without," she said firmly just before another contraction hit. She grabbed onto Alex and breathed through the pain once again.
"Are you sure about that?" he asked wide eyed. Jo nodded and closed her eyes as her abdomen relaxed again.
When Trisha returned to the room, she started Jo's IV and the couple informed her Jo didn't want an epidural. "That's okay. You are doing a great job, Jo. Just stay focused and breathe. You can do this," the kind nurse encouraged. When she had completed everything she needed to do she let Jo get up to move around the room again.
Jo paced and swayed and breathed her way through the morning. Alex was right beside her the whole time supporting her and holding her. He didn't know what else to do. He was scared to become a dad and scared to see Jo in so much pain and knew she was scared too. Jo couldn't think about her fears though because she had to completely focus on dealing with the pain. Mid-morning Dr. Welch came in to check on Jo's progress. She examined Jo and informed them she was moving along nicely and was now eight centimeters dilated and the baby had moved down quite a bit. It wouldn't be long now.
Jo stayed in bed then and Trisha showed Alex how to rub her back during contractions to help ease some of the pain. She couldn't believe how well the young couple was doing. They were leaning on each other for support and getting through the labor process amazingly well, better than a lot of people much older.
The last two hours of Jo's labor were very intense. She was quiet and didn't say much but clung to Alex. It was a very intimate experience for the two and when they would look back later they were both happy with how it all happened and felt even closer because of it.
After one particularly strong contraction, Jo wiped the sweat from her head and looked over at Alex smiling slightly at the still wide eyed look on his face. He had looked so scared all day long. "Alex can you go get Trisha. There is too much pressure I think I need to push," she requested. If possible his eyes grew even wider and he hurried out of the room. When he got back to Jo's side with the nurse close behind she was in the middle of another contraction so he wrapped her in his arms letting her squeeze onto his shoulders while he massaged her back.
"You guys are amazing," Trisha marveled as she prepared to check Jo's progress. "Okay Jo, it's time. You are completely dilated and ready to push. I'm going to step out to call Dr. Welch but will be right back."
In the next moments the room was filled with people and activity. Alex and Jo just stared at each other anxiously. "I have no idea what I'm supposed to do," Jo whispered to Alex before being gripped with pain and pressure once again. He sat next to her in the bed and put a supportive arm around her shoulders.
When the room was set up and some of the activity had died down Trisha appeared at Jo's side. She explained to her how she was going to push. "Just look right here at me Jo. You can do this okay. You have gotten this far. You can do this." And with the next contraction Jo began to push. It took her a few contractions to get the hang of what exactly she was supposed to be doing but finally it all clicked and the nurse exclaimed, "Yes that's right! Just like that! Only a few more pushes."
Three pushes later, through unimaginable burning and pressure Jo let out a small shriek, the only noise she had made throughout labor, and suddenly felt relief as her baby was born. His loud cries filled the room and Jo brought her hands up to her face gasping as tears filled her eyes. She looked at Alex who was grinning through tears as well. He leaned down and showered Jo with kisses. "You did it Jo. You are amazing. You did so good."
"Awesome job Mama," Dr. Welch praised. "Are you going to cut the cord, Dad?" Alex wiped his eyes and moved to the foot of the bed where he cut the cord with a shaky hand. The doctor stood up and placed the baby on Jo's chest, "Congratulations!"
Jo held her son and cooed and kissed him. There was no one else in her world at the moment. Alex stood back and watched the beautiful scene awed by his strong wife and newborn son. Finally, Jo looked up and searched the room for Alex, when her eyes met his she reached out for him. He went over and once again sat next to her in the bed. He kissed her cheek and her lips and then looked down at their son who was content laying on his mother's chest. Alex kissed the baby's head and felt tears once again filling his eyes.
As they laid there together, bonding as a new family, the baby started bobbing his head and smacking his lips. Alex chuckled, "What is he doing?"
Jo looked up at him nervously, "I don't know. Do you think everything is okay?"
Trisha piped in from where she was unobtrusively observing the scene, "Everything is just perfect. He is hungry and trying to find your breast. When newborns are laid skin to skin with their mother after birth they can smell the milk and will start to try to move to find it. He is doing just what he is supposed to do." She stepped over to the bed and helped Jo position the baby to nurse. He caught on right away, latched well, and nursed for about thirty minutes. "Wow, he did great. Already knows what he's doing," the nurse exclaimed happily, "but don't get discouraged if it doesn't go that easy every time. It takes work to nurse a baby. We are here to help you though, anytime you need it."
After he was finished eating, the nursery nurse swept the baby out of Jo's arms and over to the infant warmer in the corner of the room so they could do an assessment on him and get his measurements. Jo's arms had never felt so empty. She leaned her head against Alex's chest and watched the nurse work with her baby. "Seven pounds, twelve ounces," the nurse called out when she had weighed him, "and twenty inches long."
"What time was he born? I didn't look at the time," Alex asked just now realizing he didn't even know what time his son was born.
"He was born at 12:34," the nurse answered. "Do we have a name for this little guy yet?" she asked carrying him back over to Alex and Jo fresh from a bath and wrapped in warm blankets.
"Not yet," Alex answered reaching out for the baby. He couldn't suppress his grin as he held his son for the first time.
Jo watched, smiling softly as Alex cooed and talked to their newborn. She decided she would never get tired of seeing him with the baby. Her eyelids started to get heavy and her eyes involuntarily closed. The pain, hard work, and emotion of the day were catching up to her and she had to sleep.
A few hours later, Jo woke up to the soft mewling of the baby. She slowly opened her eyes and saw Alex still sitting and holding the baby just as he had been when she fell asleep. Their son was smacking his lips again and starting to suck on his hands. "I think he is hungry again, Alex. Can you bring him here to me?" Reluctantly Alex got up and handed the baby to Jo. It took a little bit longer but once again she got him to latch on and nurse. When one of the nurses came in to check on them Jo asked, "How long is he supposed to eat? Do I just wait until he stops sucking?" She was overwhelmed with questions. She didn't know how to take care of a newborn. She just wanted to do the best thing for her son. She had so many questions though she didn't even know where to begin.
"Let him nurse for ten to twenty minutes on one side then switch him to the other side if he is still wanting to eat. Be sure and break the suction before taking him off your breast though, just put your finger in his mouth and it will break the suction," she explained. After checking that mom and baby were both doing fine she asked if they needed anything else or had any other questions.
The new mother answered truthfully, "I have so many questions and something new comes up all the time. I can't always remember what I was going to ask you though."
The nurse smiled at her, "That's okay. Just write down your questions when you think of them and you can ask the next time we come in, or use your call light and one of us will be in here. You've had an eventful day and I know it's overwhelming, but you are doing great. You are already a great mommy."
When Jo had finished nursing the baby she let Alex take him and burp him then Alex settled him on his chest. Jo snuggled up beside Alex laying her head on his chest by the baby. "Can you believe it? We did it. This is our baby. He looks so much like you Alex," she placed a light kiss on his chest.
"I know it's awesome huh? I mean we made him. He's you and me," he said with wonder. They rested in the quiet for a little bit until Alex remembered, "I guess I should call Jace and let them know we had the baby. He brought me to the diner this morning."
"Oh yes, let them know!" Jo agreed excitedly taking the baby off Alex. He made the phone call and they made plans for the Parkers to visit the new family the next day.
"You know, we should probably give our little guy here a name," Alex ventured that evening as they were eating supper. All day they had been calling him baby because they didn't have a name picked out. They had avoided the topic because they hadn't been able to agree on any names. When he had finished eating, Alex got each list of names out of one of the bags. "I brought the lists with me," he explained handing them to Jo.
"Actually, I don't need the lists," she replied sheepishly, "I know what I want to name him. Just hear me out, but if you hate it we can pick something else."
"What you have been holding out on me?" he splayed his hand across his chest playing like she hurt him.
"Well, yeah kind of," she grinned, "I was waiting for the right time to tell you. And when is better than after I have pushed your baby out of my body right?" they laughed together. "Okay I want to name him Briar, from my list, it means strength so every time we say his name it is like we are calling him strong and Jonathan, for you because you like more traditional names, which means gift of God because obviously he is our precious little gift." She watched Alex's face to see his reaction.
"Briar Jonathan. Briar Jonathan Karev. Hmmm," he tried the name out a couple of times, "I like it. It fits him," he concluded looking at the baby.
Jo clapped in excitement and picked the newborn up, "Happy birthday, Briar Jonathan, I love you," she placed a tender kiss on his face.
They were still scared at the prospect of being parents, but for the moment they were basking in the glow of finally meeting and holding this tiny miracle they had created and loved for so long.