I thought about breaking this chapter into 2, but I'm ready to get to meeting the baby! I didn't initially plan for it to be so long, but I wanted to incorporate the entire family supporting Mirabel in some way. Hope you enjoy! :)
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Mirabel knew this baby probably wasn't coming very soon. Labor could last a long time. It was 25 hours for Dolores, but it was only 12 hours for Isabela. She hoped it was closer to being like Isabela, but she had no way to know that. Once Julieta got Mirabel to her room and on her bed, she had Pepa go get the midwife to check to see how far along things were.
"How are the contractions?" asked Julieta, once she was back in the room.
"Not too bad," Mirabel was sitting up in bed. "Actually, I don't feel like I have to stay in my room. I'd like to walk around a little bit."
Julieta smiled. She loved that Mirabel wasn't in a lot of pain yet, but she knew it wouldn't last for long. "I love the enthusiasm, but let's stay here until Ana can check you out." Ana was the midwife and while she specialized in giving birth, she usually couldn't be there for every birth everyone had in town. Mirabel wasn't worried if she wasn't there for the birth, because she knew if something was wrong, such as if the baby's heart stopped beating, she'd find out from Dolores quickly. Besides, all of Pepa's children, Julieta's children, and now their children's children had been born in Casita. Mirabel felt very comfortable having her baby there. However, it was nice to have a midwife in town to check on things.
Ana arrived soon after and immediately checked to see how far dilated Mirabel was. Mirabel hated it and turned her head to the side. She groaned and said, "This is worse than labor." So far, her contractions had been very mild and 20 minutes apart.
Julieta knelt at Mirabel's side and said, "Hold my hand, honey. It'll be over soon."
Mirabel squeezed her mom's hand and took deep breaths.
Ana finished up and said, "Well, things could still take a while. You are only 2 centimeters."
Mirabel shrugged. "Better than zero."
Ana laughed. "Very true," She got off the bed. "I will be back to check on you first thing in the morning, but if you need me before then, feel free to come get me." It was 7 in the evening.
"Okay, thank you, Ana." said Julieta.
She walked out of the room.
"Okay, can I go downstairs now? I don't want to be stuck in here right now."
Julieta giggled. "Yes, we can go." She helped Mirabel out of bed and they walked out of her room and down the stairs. Immediately when she sat on the couch, a contraction hit. It just felt like mild cramping, so she was able to talk through it and not act any different.
She kept up small conversations with her family as she switched from the couch to walking around to keep things moving along. The contractions were coming in every 15-20 minutes and lasing no more than 45 seconds each. It was very manageable so far. She was happy things were moving along nice.
After about an hour of this, Mirabel was in the kitchen walking around. Her last contraction had been 15 minutes ago, so she was expecting one any time. Just as she thought that, it hit her. But this one was stronger than the last one. It still wasn't too bad, but it did cause her to groan and lean over on the counter. Along with the cramping, which wasn't just mild anymore, she was feeling lots of hardening in her stomach.
"You got this." said Julieta as she rubbed her back. She had hardly left Mirabel's side. "Just breathe through it."
Mirabel continued to take deep breaths. Before long, it ended and Mirabel raised up. She took another deep breath and said, "That one wasn't so mild."
"Would you like to go ahead and go back to your room?"
Mirabel shook her head. "Maybe in a little bit, but I'm still good to stay down here. I think walking around is helping."
"Okay. Whatever you need,"
For the next 2 hours, Mirabel's contractions continued to get stronger. They were getting closer together and lasting up to 45 seconds to a minute. She was continuing to breathe deeply through the contractions.
After the 2 hours, Mirabel decided she was ready to go to her room. Her mom walked her up the stairs and into her room. She was about to get in bed when a very intense contraction hit. She gasped and leaned over on her bed. She took very shaky breaths and was groaning. "Ow, ow, ow. Mama, it hurts."
"I know, mija, I'm so sorry. You are doing so good."
Throughout the night, the contractions slowly got more intense and more painful. Mirabel switched between walking around to lying in bed. Julieta stayed at her side the entire time and Pepa even joined them at about 3 in the morning. Mirabel was happy to have the extra company.
At almost 5 in the morning, the contractions increased in intensity. Mirabel had still been able to talk a little bit during the last contractions, but that was not an option anymore. They were very intense and very painful. It had her completely doubled over and not able to move. She was moaning and groaning and having a really tough time. The contractions were now lasting a minute with only 5 minutes in between. In between the contractions, she would lay in bed and rest her eyes. Julieta and Pepa stayed at her side the whole time. They took turns holding her hand, wiping a cool wash cloth on her forehead and neck, and massaging her lower back. They were also continuously giving her words of encouragement.
At about 7, there was a knock on the door. "It's Dolores. Can I come in?"
"Come in," said Pepa.
Dolores opened the door to find Mirabel on the floor, but leaned over her bed. She was in the middle of a very strong contraction. She heard Dolores come in, but she wasn't able to raise her head and acknowledge her. She was focused on getting through it. She whispered, "I've been hearing the progress off and on all night. You're doing so good, Mira." She grabbed the wash cloth that was in a small bowl of water, rang out the excess water, and rubbed it on Mirabel's neck.
Mirabel slightly nodded to let her know she heard her. She leaned back off her bed once the contraction ended. She took in a deep breath and let it out. "Now I know why they call it labor." She wiped her forehead of excess sweat. "How's the heartbeat?"
Dolores smiled. "Stronger than ever. This little baby is almost ready to be here."
Mirabel smiled at her. "Sweet. Um, can I…ask a favor?"
"Anything. What's up?"
"Do you mind…fixing my hair? It keeps falling down."
"Of course," Dolores got up and fixed Mirabel's hair. It had been in a bun on her head, but was almost half way out now. Dolores fixed it and got back down at her level. "Better?"
"Mhmm. Thanks."
Dolores stayed for a little bit longer before heading back out. Julieta and Pepa were staying, but Mirabel continued to have visitors. After Dolores, her sisters came in. They offered their support and held Mirabel's hand through the next several very intense contractions. After her sisters left, Camilo came to the door. "Is it okay if I come in?"
Pepa looked to Mirabel. "Do you mind if Camilo comes in?"
"I don't care." said Mirabel breathlessly. She groaned as a contraction came and she leaned over her bed. She had been walking around when this one hit. She was breathing through it and groaning while hiding her face in her arms.
Pepa told him he could come in and he immediately walked over to Mirabel. He hated seeing her in so much pain and he didn't know what to do. He looked to Julieta and said, "I don't know how to help." He hadn't been in the room at all when Dolores or Isabela had their babies, so this was new and a little scary to him. All he knew is that he wanted to be there to support Mirabel somehow.
"Just hold her hand." whispered Julieta. "That's comforting to her."
Mirabel held her hand out without looking and Camilo grabbed it. She squeezed it extra tight as she tried to get through the contraction. Those minutes were feeling longer and longer. She was only getting about 3-4 minutes rest between them.
Once it ended, she let go of his hand and leaned back off her bed. She smiled at Camilo. "Thank you."
"You're welcome. I just wanted to come check on you."
Mirabel gave him a weak thumbs up. "I'm getting there."
He stayed for one more contraction before leaving the room. The next visitor was Antonio. This was one that caused everyone to hesitate. Like Camilo, he wasn't in the room at all when Dolores and Isabela had their babies. He was still very young and didn't understand everything, but he was just very worried for Mirabel and wanted to see her. He was almost crying with how badly he wanted to see her.
Pepa bent down at his level. "Tonito, you need to understand something. She is in a lot of pain and I'm worried it will be too much for you."
"I don't care." he said. "I just want to see her."
Pepa sighed and said, "Okay."
He stepped in the room with his mom and immediately walked up to Mirabel. She was lying in bed now while in the middle of a contraction. She was holding onto her mom's hand very tight. Her face was buried in her pillow and she was softly crying through the pain. She was ready for it to all be over.
This was not the Mirabel he knew. She looked exhausted, her hair was a mess, and she was in so much pain. "Mirabel?" he whispered shakily.
She had been unable to talk during contractions, but she did manage to look up at him. She let go of her mom's hand and held it out to Antonio. He grabbed it and got a little closer. She didn't want to scare him, but she was in so much pain. She let out a loud groan and breathed loudly through the contraction.
Pepa could see it was definitely too much for him and so could Mirabel. As soon as the contraction ended, Pepa grabbed Antonio and walked out with him. Mirabel started to cry. Just before he walked out, she said, "I'm sorry, buddy." The tears were flowing and she was sobbing.
"Mi amor, it's okay." said Julieta. She was kneeling in front of her and running her hands through her hair. "Please don't cry. It's okay."
"I probably just traumatized him for life." she said between sobs. "I tried to be okay, but I was hurting so much."
"No one is mad at you, darling." She wiped the tears from her cheeks and kissed her forehead. "You need to focus on this baby now. Don't worry about Antonio. Pepa is with him now."
Outside the bedroom door, Antonio was shaking and hyperventilating. He had never seen someone in so much pain. Especially someone he loved and cared about so much. "Oh, my little Tonito. I'm so sorry." Pepa gave him a hug. "I should have never let you come in."
"I'm so scared." he said as he started to cry. "Is she going to be okay?"
"Yes, she will be fine." said Pepa. "It's hard to have a baby." She looked behind Antonio and could see Felix headed her way. "Hey, your dad is here. How about you go with him? I need to be in there for Mirabel."
He nodded and pulled away from Pepa. He turned around and walked with his dad. Pepa sighed and walked back into the room. Mirabel was resting with her eyes closed, just waiting for the next contraction. She opened them when she realized Pepa was back in the room. "I'm so sorry, Tia Pepa."
"Don't you apologize." Pepa grabbed the wash cloth and wiped Mirabel's forehead with it. "He will be fine. He just loves you so much and it was hard seeing you in pain."
She nodded and continued to rest her eyes until another contraction hit.
Her dad and Bruno came in to check on her a little bit later. Bruno still had a lot of anxiety, so seeing Mirabel in so much pain was too much for him. He told her he loved her, but he couldn't stay. She understood. Agustin stayed for a few contractions and left shortly after. He had been holding her hand and giving her words of encouragement.
Abuela came in after they walked out. She held Mirabel's hand and helped her through the next few contractions. She told her how proud she was of her and how well she was doing. She hated to see her in so much pain, but it was part of the process of bringing a baby into the world.
At about 8:30, Ana came back to the house. She was let into the room by Pepa. Julieta was at Mirabel's side, helping her through the current contraction. She was back on the floor, leaning over the bed. She was trying so hard to breathe through the contraction, but loud groans kept coming out instead and she was shaking.
Mirabel got back on the bed after the contraction and Ana checked to see how dilated she was. "Wow, you've made great progress through the night. You're at a 7. I bet this baby will be here soon."
"Thank goodness." Mirabel leaned her head back and ran her hands through her hair.
"I can stay if you want me to, unless you two have it handled?" she questioned while looking around. She knew they were basically experts at childbirth and didn't necessarily need someone extra there.
"That's up to Mirabel." said Julieta.
"I'm fine if you go." She smiled at Ana. "Thank you." She was more than happy to have her mom and aunt with her.
"Alright. I will come back by this afternoon and hopefully by then, you're holding that beautiful little baby."
"I hope so, too." said Mirabel.
As soon as Ana left, Mirabel encouraged her mom and Pepa to go take a break. They had been absolutely amazing as her support people, but they looked exhausted. Mirabel was, obviously, exhausted too, but they had practically been on their feet all night and just needed a little break if they were going to continue to support Mirabel as well as they had been. They tried to argue with her, but she just said, "Dolores, come get our moms out of here for a break. Send someone else in." Within minutes, Dolores was coming followed by Isabela and Luisa. They kicked Julieta and Pepa out.
"Don't worry, I'll make sure they get some rest. They'll be back in a couple of hours." said Dolores as she closed her door. Dolores had heard Ana say she was at a 7 and knew the baby probably wouldn't come for another couple of hours.
Julieta and Pepa had been amazing at helping Mirabel through the contractions, but her sisters were absolutely wonderful as well. They gave her words of encouragement, wiped her neck and face with the wash cloth, and let her squeeze their hands. Isabela was extra supportive, as she had been through labor before and knew the pain Mirabel was in.
Julieta and Pepa came back in the room at 11 and allowed Isabela and Luisa to leave. They gave Mirabel hugs and left. Just 10 minutes later, the contractions took a turn. They lasted up to 2 minutes with only a minute, if that, between them. Mirabel didn't think it could get much worse, but it did. She didn't have the energy to walk around anymore, so she just stayed in bed. She had her mom on one side and Pepa on the other side. She was in pure agony. The contractions were so intense and so sharp. She was sobbing and screaming through them. "I can't do this!" she screamed. "This is too much." She grabbed onto her mom's clothes. "Make it stop!"
"Baby, you are doing so good." she said softly. "This baby is almost here. You are so close. You got this. Try to take deep breaths."
"Stop telling me to breathe!" she yelled. "It doesn't help!"
"I know you're in so much pain, mija, but screaming is going to take so much energy from you." She got close to her face and looked her right in the eyes. "Breathe with me. Come on. You can do it. You have done amazing and you are so close." Mirabel didn't have the energy to argue back, so she breathed deeply with her mom.
Pepa was continuing to run the wet wash cloth on Mirabel's forehead, front of her neck, back of her neck, and cheeks. Mirabel was sweating and said she was burning up, so the wash cloth helped a bunch. Pepa was running her fingers through some loose hair on her head. "You are doing such a wonderful job." she said. "It won't be long now."
The contraction came to an end and Mirabel let out a big breath. She leaned into the touch of Pepa running her fingers through her hair. "Please keep doing that. It feels so good." She moaned slightly and closed her eyes, trying to catch her breath.
"Of course. Anything you need,"
This cycle went on until 12. Mirabel was sobbing and groaning loudly through the contractions. She would let out the occasional scream and her mom would remind her to focus and breathe. She was so ready for it to be over. She knew it would be worth it, but she just didn't know how much more she could take. She was running on so little energy. Her mom would hold onto her hands and Mirabel would squeeze them very tight to keep herself from screaming. Julieta was talking very sweetly to her and telling her how strong she was and that she was so close.
At 12, Mirabel felt the most intense amount of pressure. She groaned and said, "This baby is coming…now!"
"Do you feel like you need to push?" asked Julieta.
"I just feel so much pressure I may explode if I don't!" She leaned her head back and groaned loudly.
"Okay, let's have a baby."
She got into position and started pushing. She had a million thoughts running through her head. Labor was the worst thing in the world. Was the next part as painful as this or even more so? Was she going to be a good mom? She loved kids and babies, but how was she going to do this? More than anything, how was she going to do this by herself? Sure, she had her family, but she didn't have a man by her side. She thought about when Dolores and Isabela were having their babies, they had their husbands by their side. She had her mom and tia with her currently, but she still felt so alone.
After a contraction, she relaxed and leaned her head back. She'd been trying to get this baby out for 20 minutes and so far, no luck. She was making progress, but she was ready to be done. "Honey, you're doing wonderful." said Julieta.
Mirabel nodded and turned her head to the side. Tears filled her eyes and she instantly started crying.
"Oh, Mira, I know it hurts, but you are so close. I bet with these next few contractions, this baby will be here."
"No, it's not that." she said between sobs. "I can't believe I'm doing this alone."
Julieta and Pepa looked at each other. They knew what she meant by doing this alone. "I know it may feel that way, but I promise, we will stay by your side through all of this. I know it's not the same thing, but…we will be here."
"No, no, I can't do this." she said and another contraction immediately came. "Ugh, I quit. I'm not doing this anymore. I'm done. Just pull the baby out of me!" She let out a loud scream. "It hurts too much. Please, Mama, don't make me do this! I'm not strong enough for this. I can't do it!" She regretted her decision to have sex when she found out she was pregnant, but she had been excited about having a baby and was feeling okay with it. But now? She would have given anything to go back in time and not let things go that far with Javi.
Before Julieta could say anything, Pepa moved from being next to Mirabel to behind her. She let her rest her whole body against her chest. She grabbed the wash cloth and wiped it on her forehead and cheek. "We've got you. You are not alone. Now, come on, let's have this baby. Let's go!"
Julieta couldn't help but think that she had the best sister in the entire world.
Mirabel held onto Pepa's hands tight as she pushed with every last bit of strength she had.
Everyone's voices left like they were a million miles away. Mirabel vaguely heard her mom say, "Okay, the head is out. Come on, you've got this! Almost there." She tightened her already tight grip on Pepa's hands and pushed as hard as she could despite the unbearable pain, screaming through it.
Within seconds, at 12:27 pm on November 5, the baby was here and was immediately placed on Mirabel's chest. She looked down and just let out the biggest sigh. Julieta grabbed a towel and threw it over the baby. They started to wipe the baby clean and the tiny cries started. Mirabel instantly started to cry too. She wasn't crying over being alone anymore. She didn't feel alone. She had so much love in her heart she felt it could burst. "Oh, my baby," She continued to catch her breath and then kissed the top of the baby's head. It was a head full of dark curly hair. Mirabel pulled the baby away for just a second to see what the gender was.
She smiled up at her mom. "It's a girl." She looked back down at her baby. "Hi there, baby girl. I'm your mommy. I love you so much."
"Does she have a name?" whispered Pepa.
Mirabel had thought of names for both a girl and a boy. She had one set in stone for a boy, but she was still on the fence about a girl name. But now, staring at her baby, she knew exactly what her name was. "Yes." She kissed the top of her head again and grabbed her hand. Her little hand wrapped around Mirabel's finger. She had stopped crying and was now staring into Mirabel's eyes. "My sweet Rosa. Welcome to the family Madrigal."
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Virtual high-five if you can guess how I chose the baby's name ;)
And another one if you caught the Grey's Anatomy reference.
