She had been on bed rest for 2 weeks now, her due date was 2 weeks away and she knew she would be having a baby very soon. After seeing her doctor last week, her blood pressure was under control but she needed to stay on bed rest for the remainder of her pregnancy to ensure hers and the baby's health. Her and Henry had prepared as much as they could and seemed to be as ready as they could be to welcome a new baby into the world.
After a night of restless tossing and turning and several trips to the bathroom, Elizabeth had managed to get a few hours if sleep thanks to her husband's help. He was up most of the night rubbing her back, she was having a lot of pain and discomfort which made it increasingly difficult to get comfortable in bed. She felt bad keeping him up, she knew he had work to do the next day but he was more than happy to help his wife. He would do anything to make her feel better. He knew she had not been feeling well and was increasingly uncomfortable and in pain. She had been having contractions on and off for a few days but nothing was moving along. The baby had dropped and was low in her pelvis which is what was causing most of her discomfort, but henry could do little to help with that.
She had finally managed to fall asleep, her body pillow supporting her belly and between her legs, along with a few other pillows for good measure. Henry had spent most of the night rubbing her back, trying to relieve some of the pressure she was feeling, apparently, it worked because she fell asleep. Henry snuggled up, spooning her from behind and fell asleep shortly afterwards. He knew she would be up soon.
At about 9 am the next morning Henry woke up before her, she hadn't moved all night and he was still laying behind her. He didn't move in fear of disturbing her, he thought she could use all the sleep she could get and didn't dare move and wake her up. He laid there, enjoying the view. She had kicked off all the covers through the night and she was sleeping in only one of his t-shirts, her long blond hair in his face, her hand wrapped around her big belly. The sun was shining in the window, through the curtains and illuminating the room, casting an angelic glow upon his already glowing wife. He couldn't get enough of the view and was in a daze admiring his wife cradling their unborn child.
"Henry" a sleepy voice said.
He didn't hear her, he was still daydreaming.
"Babe" she said again.
"Morning beautiful", giving her a kiss on the shoulder. "How did you sleep?"
"Good, thanks to you" she told him with a small smile. "But I don't feel well Henry ".
"What's wrong?" He asked concerned. He didn't know if it was as minor as having to get up and pee, or as serious as having to go to the hospital right now on the fly.
"I have a little bit of a headache, I feel nauseous, I hurt every where..." she lamented.
"What can I do babe, do you want me to call Dr. Smith? I can get you breakfast and a cup of tea, I can run you a warm bath...".
"Can you help me get up? I have to go to the bathroom" she told him, it was laced with some sarcasm, it seemed like that was all she ever did lately.
Henry got out of bed to walk around to her side and grabbed her hands to pull her up. With a grunt and a little force, she was up on her feet, face to face to her husband with her arms wrapped around his neck, she smiled gazing into his eyes. He was gazing back and wrapped his arms around her, rubbing her hips, he gave her a quick peck before she waddled away to the bathroom. God she's beautiful, he thought to himself. She had other feelings.
Henry was in the bedroom, waiting for Elizabeth to finish in the washroom and to see if she was ready for breakfast. He didn't dare guess what she wanted to eat, he made sure it was something she wanted, always. He felt that she had been in the washroom for a while so he walked to the door, he was about to knock when he heard her. Oh god, he thought to himself. He could hear he dry heaving, he immediately went in to check on her and she was crouched up in front of the toilet, bracing it with her arms. She had tears streaming down her face, trying to catch her breath. Henry knelt beside her and pulled her hair up and rubbed her back. She had been so sick at the beginning of her pregnancy that he knew the drill well.
"its ok babe", his heart broke for his wife, she felt awful enough, she didn't need this, again. He wished he could trade places with her, so she didn't have to go through it.
She continued leaning against the porcelain thrown but had finally finished throwing up, she just rested her head on her arms on the edge of the toilet, henry was still on the floor next to her rubbing her back.
"Can I have a ginger ale please?" she asked, her voice still shaky.
"Of course, are you going to be ok if I go downstairs?" he asked her. He didn't want to leave her alone but he also wanted to get her whatever she wanted.
"I'll be fine, it's not like I can move anyway", she said with a short temper.
Henry got up and gave her a kiss on the temple, "I'll be right back".
He came back with a ginger ale, a few bread slices and some saltines, he wasn't sure she'd eat anything, or if she could even stomach it but just in case.
He was about to sit back down next to her but before he could, she asked him to help her up so she could wash her face and make her way back to bed. As she got up she froze and grabbed the bathroom counter, Henry had his right arm wrapped around her back side to give her a little extra support, his right hand touching her belly. When she froze, he could feel her pregnant belly clinch.
"you having a contraction babe?" he asked softly.
She hissed and let out a deep breath. It somehow felt different that it had before but it was just the one so she let it go.
She didn't give him an answer, she just nodded and slowly walked to the rocking chair in the corner of the bedroom.
He followed close behind, when she sat he handed her the ginger ale he had gotten and asked her to at least try to eat. She was not pleased but she knew he wouldn't let it go if she didn't. She forced a few crackers down, she wasn't entirely convinced they wouldn't come back up, but at least she tried.
In the rocking chair, she put up her feet on the foot stool, henry took this as an opportunity to rub her swollen feet, she leaned back and closed her eyes. Her face was flushed red and her hand was waving, trying to get some cool air. He got up and went to the bathroom, she wasn't sure why but he promptly returned with a cold wet cloth and gently laid it on her forehead before returning to giving her a foot rub.
It wasn't too long afterwards that she clutched her belly once more, closing her eyes and taking a few deep breaths. She hadn't said anything in a while, this is how he knew it was serious and she really wasn't feeling well. His wife was in labor, he just wondered if she was in denial. He didn't say a word, he just kept massaging her, waiting for her to initiate the conversation.
"henry…", her voice was shaky, weak, on the verge of tears.
"yeah sweetheart?"
"I think we should time my contractions" she told him.
"Ok babe, I'll do that, you just have to tell me when they start and finish ok?". He was trying to stay calm but the realization that she was likely in labor for real, scared the shit out of him.
Her head was pounding, she felt like she was over heating, her back was killing her, she felt weak and shaky. She hadn't told Henry just how bad she was feeling, though she knew she should. He was nothing but supportive but she figured he would start stressing and she didn't want that.
Her contractions were getting stronger and closer together, Henry called Dr. Smith and they were advised to make their way to the hospital when Elizabeth's contractions were about 5 minutes apart or if Elizabeth starting to feel worse. At this point they were not concerned about her blood pressure, they had determined that It was likely stress induced and not pregnancy related so as along as she wasn't overly stressing, she would likely be fine.
Henry was timing her contractions and they were about 8 minutes apart. They had been getting pretty intense and she could not find a comfortable position, as hard as she tried. Henry was doing his best to be supportive and get her whatever she wanted. He was getting her cold compresses, rubbing her back and walking around the house with her. They had read that it could help speed up the process.
She was having a lot of back labor, she not only felt the contractions in her abdomen, but also in her lower back, her husband was doing the best he could but she had noticed that if henry applied pressure on her hips and lower back during contractions, it actually alleviated some of the pressure she was experiencing.
Henry, in his research during her pregnancy, had read that a warm bath could help during labor. He thought he would suggest it, but he wasn't sure she would go for it.
"Do you want to take a bath babe? I read that it might help with the pain", he suggested.
"I'll do anything." She said dryly.
They went back upstairs and he ran bath for her. Henry helped her undress and get into the tub. She tried to relax but her contractions were getting quite painful. Henry was sitting just outside the tub and was rubbing her belly.
"Is it helping?", he asked.
"Can you rub my back still?", she asked tentatively between contractions.
"anything for you sweetheart" he said with a smile.
It didn't take long for Henry to drop his clothing and get in the tub with his wife. He sat behind her and she was able to lean back against him while he was rubbing her back, her hips and her belly. This was the first time she could actually relax a little and not be in agonizing pain.
When the bath ran cold, they had made their way downstairs where she stopped in the living room. She had managed to kneel in front of the couch, resting her arms on the couch cushions and sitting on her knees on the living room floor. Henry was never far behind, ensuring she was going to be ok.
"I want the drugs" she stated between contractions.
Henry smiled a little but could understand why she would want something for the pain. He couldn't even start to imagine the pain his wife was experiencing and all he wanted to do was make it stop.
"if you want some drugs babe, we should go to the hospital" he told her.
"Mmmmm" she breathed.
"Everything is ready, we just have to get in the car. Dr. Smith is already aware that we'll be there soon, so when you're ready". He was still rubbing her back.
It was now about 6pm, Elizabeth and Henry were on the way to the hospital. They had called the Doctor and informed her they were on their way and that Elizabeth's contractions were 5 to 6 minutes apart, water hadn't broken yet so she figured they still had some time, she just wanted the epidural at this point. She was holding henry's hand, squeezing at as tightly as she could. Henry couldn't feel his fingers but he didn't dare say a word, the pain he was feeling was nothing in comparison to what she was currently going through and if squeezing his hand off was going to help manage her pain, then that's what was going to happen.
They made it to the hospital, got checked in and were sent to their room. Everything was set up and at this point they just had to hurry up and wait. The doctor assessed Elizabeth and concluded that she was doing very well but that she wasn't far along enough in labor to get the epidural just yet, she estimated at least a few more hours, or about 6cm dilated, after all that she was only 4 cm.
Elizabeth thought she was going to cry, all that time and work and this meant that she still had several hours to go. Henry was being as supportive as he could, he knew that was a big blow for her.
They were walking up and down the hallway of the hospital, he was still rubbing her back and feeding her ice chips, anything to help speed it up.
They made it to their way back to the room, Elizabeth was standing in front of her husband, he was waiting for a cue of what to do but it wasn't coming. He had his arms wrapped around her body, rubbing up and down. She had her arms wrapped around his neck, holding on tight. While she was having contractions, she would kneel and sway from side to side while holding on to Henry while taking deep breaths. Apparently, it was helping.
She eventually turned around and was leaning against the bed, she wanted henry to keep rubbing her back during contractions but he couldn't do that while she was hanging on for dear life on him.
Through it all, she didn't say much, that's how he knew she was in immense pain. She was usually talkative but most of the day she didn't day much. Henry kept whispering words of encouragement to her, telling her she was beautiful, that she was doing a great job, that he was so proud of her and to keep looking at the big picture, soon their baby girl would be here. He was willing the pain away for his wife, apparently, it worked because the doctor came in to reassess Elizabeth and determined she could get the drugs. Henry kind of wanted to laugh at her reaction but he knew that wouldn't go over well but that as the happiest and most energetic he had seen her all day.
After the epidural, she laid in bed and Henry was able to relax a little as well, the pain was minimal, she could only feel slight pressure during contractions and she was eternally grateful, so was henry, he didn't know how much longer he could watch his wife be in that much pain.