Only One Mistake (Only One 6)

“My vagina feels like someone lit it on fire,” I say, trying to sit up. “After a circus of clowns paraded through it with knives.” Making her laugh.

“Well, let’s see what is going on.” She lifts my gown up, showing everyone what I have to offer, but at this point, she could sell tickets and have an audience, and I wouldn’t care less.

“I’m feeling a lot of pressure,” I say, and she checks me.

“You are seven centimeters and fully effaced,” she says, even though I have no idea what that even means. “Your blood pressure is low, and I’m going to monitor the bleeding.” She gets up, taking off her gloves. “I’ll be back in an hour.”

“Or before,” Allison says. “If we need you to check her, right?” I don’t think this is the doctor’s first rodeo, and all she does is smile and walk out of the room.

I can’t even talk to her because another pain comes, and this one is worse than the last one. I have enough time to breathe before another one comes. “I need drugs,” I say between contractions. “Michael.” I look over at him. “You need to get me the nurse.”

He presses the button, and the nurse comes in while Allison and my mother take turns wetting a rag and putting it on my head. “Michael,” I say with tears in my eyes when another one comes. “I don’t know if I can do this.”

He leans down and pushes back my hair. “You can do this better than anyone else,” he reassures me, and I shake my head.

I go through the longest three hours of my life. Every time a nurse comes in, she is thanking us for the special treats. The waiting room is filled with all of our family, and Matthew and Max keep ordering the nurses food, hoping they aren’t asked to leave. So far, it’s working. “I have so much pressure,” I say, grunting when the doctor saunters in.

“Let’s see what is going on,” she says, and when I open my legs, I hear a gasp. “Okay, the baby is ready,” she says, and the nurse springs into action, calling another nurse in.

“What is going on?” I look around and then at my mother and Allison, who stand side by side crying.

“The baby’s head is crowning,” the doctor says as the stirrups come up, and the nurse places my legs in it.

“Okay.” The doctor comes back fully ready, sitting on the stool in the middle of my legs. “We are going to try pushing.”

Michael stands on my side while my mother and Allison stand on the other side of me. Michael slips his hands in mine. “I love you,” he says as another contraction comes.

“Okay, you are going to push,” the nurse says, and she starts counting from one to ten the whole time I’m bearing down and pushing.

“That was a good one,” the doctor says, and we repeat this for over thirty minutes. At this point, I have no energy left, and all I want is for this to be over. I lie back after pushing. I’m so tired I don’t even have the energy left to wipe the sweat that is pouring down my face. My eyes feel so heavy, and my head feels as if it weighs a thousand pounds.

“The baby is too big,” I say, panting. “It won’t come out.”

“Oh, that is where you are wrong,” the doctor says. “I know you’re tired, but I need one more big push.” She looks over at our moms. “Grandmas, come see your grandbaby.”

They both walk around to stand behind the doctor and both of them gasp. “The head is out, honey,” my mother says, sobbing. Allison just shakes her head as she cries. Allison grabs her phone, coming up to stand behind Michael, ready to catch the shot of the baby.

“One more,” Michael says from beside me, where he has been cheering me on this whole time and telling me I can do it. “You are so strong.”

“We aren’t having any more babies,” I declare, and he just nods at me.

I feel the pressure again, and this time, I grunt out and push with my last remaining strength. “We have a baby.” The doctor smiles while she grabs something, and my mother and Allison just scream. “It’s a big baby,” the doctor says. She tells me to push one more time, then she places the baby on my chest. The sound of wailing fills the room, and I’m overcome with love. It’s a love that not one baby book tells you about. It’s a love you would die to protect. The tears stream down my face as I look down at the perfect human I helped create.

“We have a boy,” the doctor says, and I look over at Michael, who just kisses my head as his own tears stream down his face. “He’s so beautiful,” he says, kissing our baby who lies on my chest. “Dad, if you would like to cut the cord.” Allison steps up and takes a picture of her son cutting his baby’s cord. It’s a picture that will be framed as soon as I can print it.