Transition Plan Chapter 46: Special Delivery Part 1 - Pregnant Pauses
Author's Notes: With this chapter, we begin the final 90 days of the 'baby watch' for Jane and Tarzan and the baby's birth. Since they will deliver the child in the jungle among their animal friends, it will be indeed a 'special delivery'. I might not be able to do weekly chapters yet, but thought you might like this collection of drabbles about her pregnancy all rolled together! Pregnancy can be wonderful but it isn't always fun, especially for two human lovers isolated in the jungle with their gorilla brethren. But we see their strength that pulls them through.
…
With each passing day, Jane knew her time was soon in coming and that their baby was maturing to eventually live outside her womb.
One day Jane was simply cuddling in Tarzan's lap while he guarded the troop, when her belly just starting flexing about every ten seconds. Both were quite entertained, but then realized what was going on. It got progressively more intense.
Jane spoke and caressed her belly, with a grin, "Poor sweet baby, you've gotten the hiccups."
It took awhile, but with four hands caressing their child on the smooth skin of her womb, the little child settled down and all was quiet within her for at least a little while. They knew with this that the baby's digestive system was maturing. They tenderly kissed, and the day went on. She stayed nestled in his lap. Just his warm body softened all her sore muscles.
…
Another afternoon, Jane was sitting with her feet flat on the ground with her knees bent and legs spread apart, framing each side of her baby bump, and was leaning against a mossy tree for back support. That was comfortable for now at least, but these days Jane was generally never comfortable in any position for very long. She was quietly drawing her gorilla family in her sketchbook she always stored in her arrow quiver. Her propped-up knees helped steady the tablet. In addition to the comfort it brought her, she knew Tarzan loved her sitting that way, because she showed him everything. She glanced and noticed where he was crouched, guarding the family, spread her legs wider, and winked at him. His eyes got progressively wider the further she spread, quirked a mischievous grin at him. She could see all of him too, and noticed he couldn't suppress a less than subtle reaction to her showing off to him. She giggled at that. Taking that for the invitation that it was, Tarzan started toward her with a really big smile and something else really big, and she knew in just a few moments that she wouldn't make any further progress on her drawing for the rest of the day. To be honest, lying joined with him was always better than anything else they could do together, especially with her so pregnant. Seeing this non verbal interaction, the family members snickered and hooted at them, and looked forward to witnessing their fun.
But immediately as he approached, she felt something weird inside her and yelped, "Oh!"
She grabbed her belly, dropped the sketchbook and pencil, and sat straight up with her legs spread flat on the ground. It was not their baby with another cute kick or turn inside. This was very different. Her eyes flashed wide open with realization.
She felt a strong increasingly painful pressure build up through her entire midsection, closed her eyes tightly, and moaned in true pain, "Ohhhh…"
Everyone in the family turned and saw her hurting. She looked at Tarzan with alarm. She wrapped her arms harder subconsciously around her belly. It didn't help.
Their desire for fun was forgotten, and Tarzan raced to her side with great concern, "What's wrong, Jane?"
"I… I will be…. All right. Feel my stomach," she strained to say.
Her belly skin was taut like the skin on a snare drum.
Tarzan felt the rock hardness of her belly. It was disconcerting, "What is that? It's too early for the baby to come. He's not ready. You can't be in labor yet."
She'd been explaining and teaching Tarzan and Kala about human pregnancies that she'd experienced watching as a girl, while she still had her wits about her before her labor. She hadn't realized until now how important those lessons were that her mother insisted she witness the entire pregnancy and birthing process with the maid servants of their barony. It was especially important where they were now, alone in the jungle as the only human female, with just Kala and Tarzan to help her through it all. It was a conscious decision to have the baby in the jungle. For the first time she was second guessing that decision.
In between the intense constriction she fought out the words, "It… it's called 'false labor'. Uhhh… My body is practicing its contractions. Ohhhh! Oh dear me… It… it will let up in a moment.'
She was sweating heavily, and her balled up fists shook to fight off her pain.
"At least I hope it will subside," she thought. She knew the dangers of premature delivery, and the unthinkable prospect of a miscarriage like she learned about her mother from her father.
Tarzan was really concerned, utterly helpless at what to do to comfort her, "I don't think our Mangani sisters experience this."
Jane attempted a wan smile as the contraction started to release its grip on her, "Just another one of those peculiar 'people' things, my dear mate."
Tarzan was amused to hear Jane make light of her own humanity. He loved her taking being a Mangani female seriously.
Her stomach muscles finally relaxed, and she sighed in relief, taking deep breaths that made her feel better. She was trying to learn breath control to distract herself from the pain. She understood this helped in real labor. Involving Tarzan in the process to help distract her made it even more tolerable.
In the aftermath of what was indeed false labor, their baby flipped and flopped wildly, now freed from the intense constriction. Jane soothed their frightened gyrating child, which Tarzan could see, and helped massage their little one, who was caught by surprise in that hard squeeze, unable to move.
"It's over Tarzan… for now," Jane noted, and leaned over to speak to her baby through her stomach walls, "I am sorry little one. Shhhh. Mommy and Daddy are here. You are all right now."
There was no question the child knew the sounds of their voices, as the baby inside her quickly quieted. She kept massaging the child through her womb for comfort.
Tarzan saw her relax and was relieved, "I am glad, Jane. I never like to see you hurt."
"You're sweet, Tarzan. But this is necessary and welcome pain. It means our baby will be here soon."
"You are the bravest woman I've ever known," praised Tarzan, caressing her hair.
Jane kidded just before she kissed him, "Ape man, I'm almost the only woman you've ever known."
They had a good laugh over a very tense situation, but were better prepared for the future. That was just the beginning of the false labor contractions that got more and more frequent, but never increased in intensity, which was the nature of false labor. She was grateful that her health favored her father's strong constitution and not her mother's frailty. But it made her miss her father, and hoped she'd see him again soon.
…
There were other signs of getting to the end, too.
The dark brown vertical line in the center of her belly, which most women developed as their bellies swelled, but was very unattractive to her, now extended from deep in her pubic area all the way straight up through her navel into her cleavage. The stretch marks were increasing everywhere along her sides. She had no navel to speak of, with it stretched completely out and flat. Her baby bump - more like a baby 'mountain' as Terk called it - protruded out nearly twice as thick as her waist was normally. Her back ached constantly, even walking on all fours, and Tarzan was often seen working on her back muscles while she lay on her side or leaned against a tree with her arms outstretched above her grasping a limb stretching out, and her legs bent and spread apart as she'd done a few days before. Her belly often rubbed the forest floor in her gorilla gait. She always needed Tarzan's help in getting up from needing to 'go'. And she felt like she was always 'going'. She was grateful to be nude all the time. Any confining clothing would have driven her crazy. Muscles were pulled and strained, every joint in her lower body felt loose, and she waddled when she walked like a human.
She felt anything but pretty any more, and was very concerned her nice thin waist would ever return after the baby came, but she always felt better with his genuine compliments. She knew he would never stop loving her.
They were out in the forest gathering food one day, and Tarzan saw her increasing discomfort in carrying their child while trying to get the food, and took her gently into his arms and apologized, "I'm so sorry I did this to you, Jane."
"I'm not," she flashed a demure smile and a sparkle in her eyes for him, "This is so right between us."
In a squat, she raised her arms up from her gorilla gait, framed her belly with her hands and arms, and emphasized, "This is our child, Tarzan. By God's grace, we made this beautiful creation, and by that grace we will hold our baby in our arms soon."
Despite the reassurance he still felt helpless, "I know. It's just so hard. I can't really do anything to help you."
She smoothed the palm of her hand and her gentle fingers along his cheek, neck, and chest, "Nothing good is ever achieved easily, Jonathan. You are doing plenty. You are taking such good care of me. Just be there by my side like you always are, my dear husband. Just love me like you do so much."
How true that was. They were always together helping each other - from the moment they met, to the moment they married, to the hard times of the fight for the peerage and the lands of the Mangani. It was all worth the struggles and the happiness of every step of the way. And now their child would add to that happiness.
"What can I do for you now?" he asked.
"Nothing right now. Just hold me," she said softly, and then nestled her head into the crook of his neck. The sweet smell of her freshly washed hair earlier in the day creekside overwhelmed his senses.
He enveloped her with his arms, as she cuddled all her soft, warm skin and the huge expanse of her pregnant belly against him. He felt the baby kicking her belly through his abs, and it pleased him immensely. He wondered if their child ever stopped his motion in her, and how hard it must be to be an expectant mother. She relaxed so much that he could hear the rhythm of her breathing change as she lapsed into taking a nap against him and he felt her completely relax. He smiled, and held her the rest of the afternoon. No one disturbed them, and a younger mated pair came and got the food they were supposed to gather. Everyone knew Jane needed the nap and Tarzan's comfort.
"I am the luckiest man alive," he whispered, and continued to hold her in his lap, and to very lightly run his fingers through her hair that, after months in the jungle, extended now all the way past her lovely round bottom.
Terk looked at them from across the nest, sighed happily for them, and nuzzled Kirok while she groomed the debris out of Jana's fur and ears from Jana's latest adventure with the other Mangani children. Terk couldn't wait for Tarzan and Jane's child to be able to run free with the other gorilla children in the jungle.
Jana looked over to Tarzan and Jane and asked, "When does baby come, Mama?"
Terk answered simply, "Soon, little one, soon."
…
Further changes occurred in Jane's appearance and condition nearly every day.
Her breasts got increasingly larger, heavier and firmer. Like most other expectant mothers, her normally pink areolas and nipples darkened into a deep rich chocolate brown, and hardened in preparation for the baby nursing. That led to other things.
In the midst of a midday lovemaking session, surrounded by most of their mated family members doing the same thing spontaneously together near a pond, Tarzan reached around from behind Jane and carefully grasped one of her breasts. He knew they were tender for some time, but was unprepared for what happened next. He was startled and held up a dripping wet hand.
Jane chuckled.
Tarzan puzzled, but was not shocked. He knew what was happening from their discussions and from knowledge of the gorilla females' own pregnancy cycles.
"Your milk is coming in already?" Tarzan asked.
She explained, "Only sort of. That comes in when our baby really starts to nurse all the time. This is colostrum. It is chock full of nutrients and keeps the baby regular and protected against diseases just after they are born. I'll leak all the time until I deliver, now that it's started."
She put his hand back on her breast gently. She was determined that their relations would continue as long as it was possible without interruption because of the pregnancy. They needed some sense of normalcy.
The continued wetness from her breasts as they embraced didn't bother either of them. It actually felt wonderful, and she helped him establish the right squeezing pattern to encourage her colostrum and milk's proper development for the baby and for Tarzan to enjoy too. She really wanted to keep the two most important people in her life both happy.
She suggested, "It's good for it to flow to get ready for the baby. You can help me frequently with that!"
Smirking, Tarzan chuckled, "You don't have to ask me twice to help you, Jane!"
She rolled her eyes, but knew he'd like this, and giggled, as they both got wetter, "Just be careful. Maybe a little less enthusiastic, please, dear."
"I'll try. Everything about your pregnancy is amazing to me, Jane."
"It's because it's really our pregnancy, Jonathan. For our baby. This is a very special Mangani birth, as important as those are for the family to grow. This is personal because it's about our baby."
"Our first baby, dear," he reflected.
They kissed fervently. She knew what he meant. They wanted this one very much, but even more importantly they wanted more children. Both were 'onlies'. Their kissing got deeper and more urgent, and they returned to their tender intimate embrace they'd started alongside the others. It seemed the more pregnant she got the better their relations felt.