Babies
Linda Downing was off to a great-aunt's funeral down in Newquay, so Louisa had to fill in for her year threes that day. The subject was biology, and her lesson plan read 'African animals.' Unfortunately, these lot sniggered when she moved about the room. After ignoring a few commotions, Louisa could stand it no longer.
"Alright. Enough!" she half-yelled. "Now, what is so funny?"
Sadly, that set them off even more, especially the boys – giggling behind hands. A few girls as well, but the boys were the worst of the lot. "Right…" she glanced at the class roster taped to the desk. Controlling her anger, she went on, "Uhm…" she found his name, "Tommy Whyver. Can you please tell me what is so funny?" That kid was the loudest and seemingly the most disruptive, for if there was a nexus of the disorder it was that child..
The blond and curly-haired boy squirmed under her gaze but didn't say anything.
Louisa moved around to the front of the desk, for she was standing behind it, then perched on the desk facing the class. That set off a few more giggles as she wiggled to get seated.
Sighing, she looked down. Her baps were projecting out even more this week, and of course her belly was really out there. When she got dressed that day, she put on a new outfit. It was a translucent print top with a pale, orange-dotted pattern and had half-sleeves. She wore it over a white camisole and maternity jeans. The top had a tiny lace edging around the V-neck and three pearl buttons at the end of the neckline. Belted under the bust with a brown belt it looked cute, or as cute as she might be at this stage of impending motherhood. She had admired herself in the full-length mirror at home. She looked good, or so she thought. Even Martin had made a positive comment; or as much as he might.
"New outfit?" he had asked when she went down to breakfast.
"Yeah, I needed, something… you know… bigger."
"Looks… uhm… new… nice," Martin nodded, then changed the subject. "When uhm, when, will the baby cot and so forth arrive?"
"Today, they said. Delivery from Truro. Flat packs."
Martin sighed because he hated the assembly of household items. Proper furniture ought to come already assembled, he thought. "I'll work on them this evening, that is, if you want me to," he said softly.
"Good. That will be…" She had to stop because she felt a kick, or maybe a squeeze. "Great." Breakfast was quick for she was running late. Louisa finished her meal, dashed back up for a wee and toothbrush then went back downstairs. She gave Martin a peck on the cheek, as he cleared the breakfast things. She gathered her school things and set off.
She had forgotten that Linda would be away, so being a substitute teacher for the day and having to face such snarky children was not quite what she had planned.
Luckily, the class went quiet, as she gathered her thoughts. But… thirty-three weeks and counting, she mused. Finally it hit her. It was her. "It's me, in'it?" she said, her voice shaking a little. "How… I… look?"
Tommy, to give him credit, dropped his hands from his mouth and nodded. "Yes mum."
Louisa felt a prick of wetness in her eyes. She snatched a tissue and dabbed at them. Alright. She binned the tissue and squared her shoulders. "Now, how many of you have little brothers or sisters?"
All but three hands shot up.
"Older sisters or brothers?" she added.
Those last three held up their hands.
"And how many have babies at home, you know – less than a few months old?"
Five hands went up.
"And my oldest sister is gonna have a baby!" one little girl said. "She got married last summer, but her hubby, he's my brother-in-law they say, he's way north on an oil rig!"
A boy in the back exclaimed, "And my mum's gonna have a baby as well! She's, my mum, that is, getting as big as you, Miss Glasson! I mean Mrs. Ellingham! Getting really fat."
Fat. Ouch. That was the word that hurt. Louisa nodded. "Right," she sighed, "Now… clearly I will be having a baby; me and Doc Martin, my husband, will be having a baby. But not just yet. Months to go." Like less than two.
Some of the kids groaned.
Louisa added, "No, no. Stop. Now stop. Our village doctor is very nice when you get to know him." From the looks on their faces she had not convinced them.
"He gave me a shot and it hurt!" Tomy said, rubbing his arm, and that made lots of other negative comments come forth about Martin.
Not ready to give these kids a class in human reproduction, she moved on, but she did say, "Women have babies. That's where they come from. Everyone on Earth had a mum and yes once upon a time you were carried inside your mum." She sighed. "And the shot you describe was for a vaccination, I am quite sure – to ward off disease."
"Like the kittens!" said a bright girl in the front row. "Massie had 'em in the shed in the garden!"
"Our dog had puppies. Seven of em'!" came another comment.
Louisa smiled. "Yes, so you all know about puppies and kittens." Thank God she wasn't to have seven babies. Twins would be hard enough. This single baby she was carrying was heavy enough; like a lump sometimes. "So, now, about Africa…"
The room had gone quiet. She felt a poke down there, behind her belly button, and then a squeeze which started at the front and seemed to grow tighter and tighter as it progressed downwards in a wave. It made her gasp a little.
"Miss?" Tommy was suddenly by her side, looking concerned, his big blue eyes staring at her.
"I'm fine… just…" Louisa bit her lip, as the feeling eased off then came once more. "I think…" She managed to stand and then get around the desk and sat down on the desk chair. "Tommy, can you…" she started feeling a little better. "Will you please go to the office and ask Miss Chadwick to come here please?"
Now the boy's eyes went wide. "Right!" He sprinted away.
Louisa forced a smile at the class. "Now, in your books…" another tight feeling came on, harder this time. "Turn to page… 147… and lets all look at the wild animals of the African plains. Okay?" She started taking small sips of air, which seemed to help, for this belly tightness was harder and longer than before.
A clatter of approaching footsteps down the hall and Sally came in with Tommy, followed by Margie Cummins, who was the school part-time health aide.
Sally Chadwick saw Louisa clutching at her belly, biting her lip, and saw a drop of sweat race down her face and drop onto her neck. "Margie, call the Doc!" Sally called out.
"I'll be fine," Louisa said softly. " Don't call Martin."
0 = 0
Of course, Sally did call Martin, and he was not pleased that Louisa had a medical problem. "I told you to restrict your hours," he told her harshly, immediately going on the attack. "Louisa, I told you that you are working far too much. You need to…" he looked around the cubbyhole office they had taken Louisa to.
Sally Chadwick was right by Doc's elbow and hearing every word.
Then the school medical aide bent low by his ear. "Braxton-Hicks seems to me," she told him. "I had 'em a lot with my three."
"Are you a medical professional, woman?" Martin snapped at her.
She stiffened. "Since you asked, I do have my first-aid cert, and I think… and I am a mother."
"No!" Martin hissed at her. "Now get out."
She rose to the occasion, getting right in his face. "I'll have you know this is MY office, Doctor Ellingham, so I think…"
"I do not care what you think or say, now back away," he told her and pointed for emphasis. "Get out!"
"Or what?"
Martin craned his neck around. "There are entirely too many people crowding in here. Half the school staff must be in the corridor! Go away! All of you!" Martin proclaimed. He snapped his fingers. "Straight away! Shoo!" He watched while the muttering crowd left, mostly. He turned back to his wife. "I'll take your blood pressure."
Louisa lay on a short sofa, her knees propped on pillows for she had felt faint when Sally and Margie escorted, half-carried, her here. "Martin, just… just, calm down." She took his hand. "I'm fine."
"So you say," he said softly. "Now describe to me what happened."
Louisa did so.
"She needs to drink some water." Margie Cummings piped up, forcing a filled glass towards Louisa, slopping some on the floor.
Martin exploded, saying,"Good Heavens, woman, are you trying to drown her? Get a straw, for God's sake!"
Sally pulled Margie aside. "Let's let the Doc do his thing, alright?"
"This is my office, you know," Margie protested.
Sally smiled. "Yes, I know, now let's find a straw, shall we?"
When the interlopers were gone, Martin slammed the door behind them. "Now… blood pressure."
"Okay," grumbled Louisa. "But I am thirsty."
Her BP was slightly up, but that may be from the stimulation of the incident. He took one of her hands and began to massage the fingers and palm.
"Feels, nice," Louisa said as she closed her eyes. "Martin, I am sorry about all this."
"Shush." He noticed that her wedding rings seemed loose, not usual at this stage of pregnancy for swollen tissues were the norm but then he stopped. He stared at the skin of her hand, for he could not see the telltale veins which should be easily visible. He plucked up some of the skin and it tented easily, then slowly rebounded, wrinkling as it did so. "Yup."
"Yup, what?" she asked.
"I… well… it may be… that you are dehydrated, after all."
"Isn't that what Margie was saying?"
He cracked his neck. "Who? Braxton-Hicks contractions sometimes called false labor; can be caused by less than optimum body fluid levels."
"So, I need to drink some water."
"Seems so," Martin replied, slightly deflated. "What have you drunk this morning?"
"No tea. I was in a rush to get out the house. Just some orange juice."
"Ah."
"So what happened to me in the classroom?"
Feeling on better medical footing Martin explained. "Braxton-Hicks contractions are natural contractions of the uterine wall muscles late in pregnancy. They have been there for some time, weeks, only now you are aware of them."
"My belly got really hard. Like an over blown-up football."
"And…" well he could eat crow when he had to. "Drinking more water and having a proper fluid intake through the day will make the contractions less frequent. When the body, uhm, your pregnant body, gets dehydrated the uterus reacts like it would when subjected to vasopressin which is a hormone which promotes labor contractions."
"So, I'm not in labor, then."
Martin sighed. "No." Thank God, he thought. Thirty-three weeks wasn't that bad, but better a full-term pregnancy, especially for a first baby.
"So drink more water," she said slowly.
"Yes."
"Just what Margie told me to do."
"Yes," Martin replied grudgingly. "I suppose."
Louisa smiled at him. "Medical Doctor gets schooled by my part-time health aide, in a school."
"What?"
"Nothing," Louisa said with a smile.
Martin put away the sphygmomanometer. "But you ought to cut down your work hours. I think you should come home now, and rest, until we get you re-hydrated."
Louisa grinned. "We can talk about that later. And drink water."
"Yes... juice, and so forth."
Louisa took his hand and held it. "Fine. Just like Margie said."
Martin snapped his medical bag closed with a snap. "Yes," he muttered sullenly.
