chapter fifty-eight
"It's very normal for women to have different levels of pain tolerance. Your wife at this state seems to have a low pain tolerance when she gets double contractions every other minute." The red-headed nurse explains to Freddie as they are talking in front of me after my stomach is being tortured.
When I saw my hand once the nurse stuck the needle in there, I felt like I was going to throw up and that's what made the pain in my stomach develop again. I seriously need to calm down because I don't want anything to happen to my baby in any way because I can't get it together.
It's probably after nine o' clock and I'm still in bed waiting for this unexpected delivery to happen. I wasn't supposed to be in the hospital until in the next three weeks which was her due date, but for some reason, I'm getting this experience now.
A woman teacher from my Mother and Me class said there are different types of labor and apparently, I have what it's called "Premature Labor" which means I'm getting my baby earlier before the due date. It sounds like a normal thing, but I'm not comfortable of how that sounds. I want this baby to be perfect and healthy; I don't want anything wrong with my new offspring when she arrives soon.
"Doctor Meyers is going to check her cervix to see if it's dilated enough for delivery since her contractions are starting to get lower than when she arrived here." She tells Freddie.
Freddie nodded with a polite grin on his face as I'm staring at him with concerned eyes.
The room door opens and a man with a white jacket, black hair with noticeable gray hairs like salt and pepper, and the man I call our doctor strolls inside with a smile on his face. "Samantha, we meet again!" He says brightly trying to lighten the mood as he walks over to me.
"Hey, Doc..." I grinned.
"So, I heard your water broke. That usually never happens with one of my patients before when I met with them on the same day." He chuckled.
"Yeah, I don't get it either," I smiled briefly.
"Well, let's see how long your is cervix is so we can see if we can deliver your baby." He stated giving Freddie a smile and walks to the counter behind him, taking blue latex gloves from a box. He puts one of the gloves on with a snap and goes to the end of the bed sitting on a rolling stool; then he lifts the hem of the blanket up in midair and places it on top of the covers. He un-slides the bottom of the recliner bed and spreads my legs apart adjusting my feet to rest on the feet rest. "Okay, this won't take long."
I felt awkward knowing he's going to have to stick his finger in my vagina for–
I squeaked feeling his finger inside for observation and cringed a little at how painful it feels. After a minute of checking my cervix, he pulls his finger away and takes off his glove with a deep look on his face. "Well, I have good news. Your cervix is halfway through by five cemeteries; you're going to need to meet ten centimeters for full delivery."
I've never felt angrier in my life.
"You're kidding me?" I asked sharply.
"I'm afraid not," He says sympathetically. "I'm going to check on you again probably in two hours to check your next dilation, okay?"
I was about to argue, but I didn't want my blood level to go high and ruin something in my body, so I took a steady breath and nodded at the doctor for my confirmation.
"We'll have our nurses check on you every twenty minutes until the next checkup." The doctor says as he connects the bed recliner again so my legs could relax without them spread apart. He pats Freddie's arm and walks out of the room without another word from him, throwing the used glove in the nearest trash can on his way out.
"Well, I'm going to check your blood pressure soon." The nurse tells me with a smile on her face. She walks to the door and leaves the room with the automatic door closing behind her.
That just leaves Freddie and me alone in the room. This whole thing is getting annoying and I just wish I could get my baby here already.
It's about an hour already since Doctor Meyers came by to check my cervix level and I'm laying in bed with Freddie standing by my side, rubbing the crown of my head with his fingers, feeling the soothing sensation. I've been here for a while and nothing has approved to know when I'm going to have my baby. When you watch movies, it goes by so fast, but this is freaking reality, and it's going by so slow than I thought it was going to be.
My nurse, who I learned her name to be Nancy, came in and out of the room to check on my heart rate and see if I'm in any pain or not, which I am. My stomach pains kept coming back every thirty seconds and that means it's getting closer to the point of somewhat delivery.
My eyelids felt heavy as I tried to sleep but I couldn't close my eyes; the pain kept coming back and that's causing me to stay awake. But Freddie was here to comfort me every way he can. I know deep down that Freddie is scared about what's happening and he's trying to calm himself inside his gut. I know he's nervous about this if something goes wrong.
Freddie is brushing his fingers through my hair and noticed my eyes starting to close and open repeatedly. "Are you tired?" He whispered.
"Yeah..." I answered. "I want to sleep but I can't. It's been hours since we've been here and I'm still in bed not pushing anything out..." I trailed off.
He chuckled softly as he speaks. "I know... but we'll get there, don't worry. My mom texted me a few minutes ago telling me she's here with your parents and Melanie." I nodded my head slowly feeling my eyes burning from being exhausted. "Maybe you would want them to visit you for a little bit?" He asked curiously.
I thought about it for more than a minute and wondered how everyone is oblivious to what is happening and should know what's going on. I turned my head at Freddie and nodded my head at his suggestion. "Yeah, you can tell them to come in here."
"Okay," he grinned pulling his hand away from my hair and shoves his hand in his plaid pants pocket and pulls out his phone. He typed away in quick speed on the device and tapped his thumb on the screen. The phone dings immediately after he sent a message and he shoves the phone back in his pocket. "Okay, they're on their way." He brings his hand back on my head stroking it softly. "How do you feel?"
"Mmm... my stomach is killing me a little because I keep feeling the stupid contraction every thirty seconds..." I said tiredly. "But the pain is not that bad from the first time." I added.
"Well... that's probably normal, but Doctor Meyers should check again in another hour. So hopefully we're making some progress."
"Ugh... I didn't know going into labor could be like this." I complained shifting my body on the bed trying to make myself comfortable.
Freddie stares at me sympathetically with his eyebrows furrowed. "I can't imagine the pain, but it'll be over soon."
"God, I hope so," I mumbled.
The door was knocked softly before it opened to four silhouettes walking inside. The four people walk inside who are identified as our family; my mom, dad, Melanie, and Mrs. Benson. They had sorrow looks on their faces as they stare at the tired looking pregnant woman on the bed, as known as, me.
"Aww... Sam." Melanie is the first one to break the silence. I glared at my twin sister seeing she's in nothing but sweatpants, a white tank top, and a fabric sweater opened and had her hair in a messy bun. She had a worried glance towards me as she walks closer to the bed standing next to Freddie.
"Hey, Peanut." Dad greeted giving me a small grin. He is also wearing gray sweats with a navy blue baggy shirt with a jacket. As I looked at my family they're wearing sleepwear without casual clothes on; I forgot that it is evening and that's when everyone should be sleeping.
"Hey Dad," I waved lamely. "Sorry if I woke you guys up."
"No need to apologize," Mrs. Benson said dismissively, walking on the other side of the bed. "How are you feeling?" She asks worriedly.
"Like crap."
"She's been having contractions every thirty seconds and she can't sleep," Freddie added looking at his mother. "Doctor Meyers is going to come back in an hour to check her cervix to see if it has grown."
"Well, what was it before?" Melanie asked.
"Five centimeters."
"Yeah, five centimeters and I'm still angry that I'm in pain and don't have this baby yet!" I yelled furiously. Everyone in the room stares at me with concerned looks on their faces as I take sudden breaths to calm myself down. After a minute of my outburst, I felt my stomach wrench that caused me to scream. "OW!" I closed my eyes as I doubled over with my teeth gritting.
"Oh God," Freddie leans over and looks at me. "Sam, how bad does it hurt? Scale from one to ten."
"A fucking one hundred!" I exclaimed.
He flinched as for everyone and stepped back as he looked over to my parents. "I need you guys to find Doctor Meyers because her contraction is starting to hurt more again." He ordered. I see my parents and they stare at me giving me a sympathetic look before Dad opens his mouth.
"I'll go find him," He states before he walks to the door and leaves the room.
Everyone was quiet for a moment as they are staring at me, me taking short breaths from the pain. "It's really starting to hurt again." I whimpered.
"That probably means the baby is going to come soon," Mrs. Benson says as she rubs my arm comforting me. Oh my god, does it finally mean that I'm going to deliver the baby soon if my cervix grew during the time I had to wait?
Doctor Meyers better come here now!
"Well, whatever it is, I want this baby out of—" I hunched as I screamed again. "AHH!" Tears formed in my eyes feeling my stomach on fire as I felt the electrical sense shooting inside me. Why does this always happen to me? Why does the female have to carry a baby and suffer through the pain? Why can't the male suffer what we go through?!
"Okay, yeah, she's going to need to know the cervix right now because I don't think she can hold it in anymore." Mom said sternly.
Right on cue, the door opens again and walks in my dad and Doctor Meyers dashing into the room. Doctor Meyers walks over to the bed and stands in front of it. "Okay, Sam, you're having contractions again?"
"Yes," I said annoyingly, rolling my eyes at his ridiculous question.
"Okay, I'm going to recheck your cervix and we should have progress." He grabs a glove from his pocket and puts it on, then he grabs the hem of the blanket and lifts it up not bothering to disassemble the lower part of the bed. He spreads my legs apart on the bed and does the routine of sticking his finger in my entrance checking the cervix.
The uncomfortable feeling was back again but I was trying to ignore it as I felt the pain in my stomach. God, God, God, please let it be more than eight centimeters. After the doctor pulls his finger away, he takes off his glove and looks at me over the bed. I looked at him with pleading eyes begging him to tell me if there was some progress.
"Your cervix is ten centimeters. We're ready to deliver the baby."