"Well Karen you're progressing well. You're seven cm's dilated another three cm's and we'll be ready to push. The nurse said after examining me.

"I need more drugs, just a little more please!" I pleaded with the nurse.

"You're doing fine, we've given you as much as we can, but you're doing great. I'll be back to check you in a half hour."

"Grace I'm begging you, please get them to give me more drugs. I promise I won't try to break your hand during the next contraction if you can convince them to give me a little more."

"Karen, you're doing great. If you'd try the breathing techniques we practiced I think you'd be more comfortable."

"Screw breathing Grace, I want drugs. You know what? Forget it, I don't need drugs, I don't need your breathing techniques and I don't need you. If you're not going to help me you can leave!"

"Now calm down Karen, Grace is just trying to help. I know you're in a lot of pain, but I think Grace is right; you need to concentrate on your breathing."

"Oh nice Jackie now you're on her side. Well I guess you can leave too, I don't need either of you. Get out!"

"Ok Karen you're upset, please try to calm down. You asked me to be your labor coach so let me help you."

"Oh god this hurts! Grace it hurts so bad, please do something. You have no idea how bad this is."

"Alright Karen take a deep breath through your nose and slowly exhale."

I did as Grace instructed but it wasn't helping; my pain was only getting worse and the contractions were coming one after the other.

"Grace something is wrong, I don't think it's supposed to be like this. Please go get someone.'

"Jack go get a nurse!" Grace screamed.

"Alright Karen, I'm right here, you're going to be fine."

"Grace this baby is coming now, I need to push! I know you think I'm overreacting but I'm telling you something isn't right."

"Karen I believe you, Jack's getting the nurse, it's going to be ok."

The nurse examined me and agreed that I was indeed ready to give birth.

"Once the Dr gets here we're going to have you begin pushing Karen, in the meantime I want you to concentrate on your breathing exercises."

Grace guided me through more breathing exercises, but my pain was intolerable and I wasn't able to concentrate.

"Ok Karen, we're ready to push." The Dr said after doing a quick examination.

"On the next contraction I want you to bare down and count to ten. Once we get to ten you can take a quick break and we'll start again with the next contraction. Ok Karen, here comes a contraction, push!"

Grace held my hand and counted to ten as I pushed as hard as I could. I felt as if my insides were being ripped apart.

"And relax. That was great Karen, you're doing just fine."

Jack wiped my forehead with a wet cloth while I tried to regain my breathing.

"Karen you're doing great, I'm so proud of you!" Grace said as she gave me a quick kiss on the forehead.

"Alright Karen, here comes another contraction, push!"

This one was even more painful than the last.

"Karen I want you to keep pushing, we're not going to stop at ten this time."

"Oh god I can't, I can't!"

"Karen it's very important you don't stop pushing we're almost there now push harder."

"Good Karen, the head's out! Now hold it. Don't push, just hold it."

"Grace what's going on? Why can't I push?"

"It's ok Kare, you're doing great."

"Ok Karen I want you to give us a really good push this time, we need to get the shoulders out and then the hard part is over. Come on Karen, push!"

"Oh god it hurts!" I screamed as I pushed as hard as I could. "Grace do something it hurts too much!"

"Keep pushing as hard as you can Karen, we're almost there."

"Karen I'm so proud of you sweetie you're doing great, you can do this, Grace encouraged."

"And we have shoulders!"

"Alright Karen one more push is going to do it, Push!"

I pushed as hard as I could and suddenly felt and enormous sense of relief.

"We have a girl!" The Dr announced.

They got her breathing and quickly placed her in my arms.

"Just for a minute and then we need to get her cleaned up and weighed., the nurse instructed."

"Oh my god Karen look at her, Grace squealed."

"Karen she's beautiful", Jack said with tears in her eyes.

Before I could even look her over they took her from me to be cleaned and weighed. After what seemed like forever the nurse wrapped her up snuggly in a blanket and finally brought her back over to me.

"Congratulations Karen, you have a very healthy 7.8lbs baby girl. The nurse announced as she handed her to me."

As soon as the nurse left the room I began to unwrap her from the blanket.

"Karen what are you doing?" Grace asked with a look of concern on her face.

"Relax honey, I just want to make sure she has all her fingers and toes."

Grace smiled and helped me unwrap her.

"Karen do you want us to leave you alone for a little while? Jack and I can step outside if you want to be alone with her?"

"No sweetie, I want you two here with me."

"She's so tiny, I'm afraid I'll break her," I said as I gently tried to remove the blanket she was nestled in.

"Can I take this hat off her head Karen? I want to see how much hair she has."

"Take it off honey, I want to examine every inch of her.

"Wow Kare she looks a lot like you, she had you're dark hair and eyes, even her facial features resemble yours," Jack said after taking a close look at her.

"How are you feeling Karen?

"Better Jackie, a lot better now that she's out!"

"Can I get you anything?"

"Aw aren't you sweet, I'd love some water honey."

"Jack handed me a cup of water and pulled up a chair next to my bed."

"The baby began to cry, most likely because we had pretty much stripped her naked to examine her."

"Poor thing's probably cold." I tried to wrap her back up in her blanket but came nowhere near getting her as snuggly wrapped as the nurse had managed.

Grace slipped her hat back on and she seemed content for the time being.

"Karen you must be exhausted, why don't you take a nap."

"I am pretty tired Grace."

"Here, I'll put her in her basinet and you get some rest. Go on, I'll stay right here and keep an eye on her."

"Well I guess I should call Will and tell him the news." Jack said as he got up from his seat."

Grace placed the baby in the basinet and I laid back in my bed and slowly drifted off to sleep.