Anchor ⚓︎ Jake 'Hangman' Seresin

⚓︎ Welcome, Baby Seresin ⚓︎

*TRIGGER WARNING* Mentions of birth and intensity that comes with giving birth and breastfeeding.  As someone who has actually given birth naturally, I think I depicted it fairly accurately.

Hospitals gave Eleanor anxiety.

From watching her mother pass away in one, to being admitted herself after she lost their first baby with a septic miscarriage, she just always had anxiety when it came to hospitals.  So when it came time to decide how they wanted to have their baby, Eleanor and Jake opted to do a home birth.

They had found a midwife, who was in tune with what Eleanor and Jake wanted regarding the birth. She asked all the right questions at each appointment and knew ways to comfort Eleanor when the idea of the actual childbirth had come up.

As the days led up to her due date in June, Eleanor felt anxious but excited to meet their baby.  And to everyone's annoyance, they decided to wait until the baby was born to know the gender.  There was a full betting pool going on what the baby would be.  Fifty percent said it was a boy and the other said it was a girl.  But it left everyone to only buy gender neutral items for the baby.

Both Eleanor and Jake agreed that they just wanted a happy and healthy baby.  Though Eleanor was secretly it was a boy while Jake hoped for a girl.

By some stroke of luck, Jake was home from a deployment for only two days when Eleanor woke up in the middle of the night with contractions.  They called the midwife, who told them to monitor the contractions and to call back when they were five minutes apart.

It didn't take long for her to get to that point and Jake was quick to set up the birthing pool.  His mother had flown in luckily to be there a few days prior, who was helping Eleanor breathe through her contractions while Jake set up everything.

Eleanor immediately got into the birthing pool when it was ready just as the midwife got there with her assistant, along with the birth photographer she had hired.  After a quick check, it was confirmed Eleanor was in fact in labor and they just kept telling her to breathe and remember all the things they had done in their birthing classes.

As time went on, Eleanor just remained in the pool, the warm water helping to sooth the intensity of the contractions with Jake holding her hand through it. Torie and Bradley were informed she was in labor, though Eleanor made sure to tell them that they wouldn't call for at least a day to take the time to just be the three of them. And Brenda.

Jake was amazing about being in tune with whatever Eleanor needed, whether it was him whispering in her ear as he kneeled beside her outside of the pool, pouring warm water down her back, or simply giving her space. He knew when he was needed and when to back away slowly.

"Jake," Eleanor gritted during one contraction, "I think it might be time for you to get in with me."

They had decided they wanted Jake to catch the baby. So Jake stripped down to just a swimsuit and got into the birthing pool with Eleanor. She leaned back against him as she breathed deeply.

"I'm right here, Ellie," he whispered, gently running his hands up and down her arms.

Suddenly, Eleanor let out a sharp cry as her water broke and she leaned toward, feeling the urge to push. "Baby's coming," she gasped, taking deep breaths.

The midwife immediately began to coach Jake on what to do as Eleanor vocalized her pain, holding the side of the tub as she began pushing. Baby's head was out and Eleanor let out another sharp cry before pushing one last time and the baby was completely out, Jake catching the baby carefully in his arms.