Learning to live

Learning to live: august

August
Being a week over due and still having no name for the baby had started to scare me. Johanna thom and Pollux were the only 3 left in the bet. Everybody else had guess the due date wrong. Unless they got the sex and weight right. Johanna predicted 18th of August which meant the baby only had 2 days to come. Thom had said the 21st and Pollux said the 23rd because that is his birthday. If the baby didn't come by the 24th I would have to induced. Peeta was conceived we were having a boy and I was convinced we were having a girl. However we had said if it's a girl he can call the baby and if it's a boy I can. As long as we don't hate the name the other has chosen. We agreed to not tell each other our choices until the baby was born because it would ruin the surprise. The hospital bag by the door ready and every time I jumped up quickly because the baby lay on my bladder Peeta would panic. He scared Luca out of his skin one time he did it. I wouldn't say I was bored of pregnancy but I was getting impatient. I couldn't wait to just know they were here safe. But then again the safest place for them was probably inside my stomach. At first when they kicked and stirred inside of me I had the great big wave of nervousness that I could share with nobody else. I felt stupid saying my baby healthily moving around made me nervous. It took me a while to get over it but I did.
I kept watching the TV, old movies, new ones and TV shows hoping to find a name I liked. If I did I'd write it down and tell peeta about it later. But I quickly went off names and each day the list would change. My favourite the day before was liana and on this day it was Joel. I was stuck.
"What about always" johanna asked sitting on the couch across from me.
I rolled my eyes "can you not take the piss this is actually serious"
"It's sentimental" she joked.
"I'm really not in the mood for you today jo" I huffed.
"Sorry" she laughed. "Mel and daisy said they were stopping by later"
"Okay, you want a brew?" I asked johanna.
"Yeah I'll make it you should rest"
"No I've been sat down all day trust me I need to get up" I told her pushing myself up from the couch. As I stood up wet splashed my legs. At first I felt so embarrassed thinking I'd pissed myself until I looked down and the liquid was clear and Jelly like.
"Oh my god" johanna sprung up. "Your water just broke"
I slowly nodded feeling traumatised.
"Okay where's peeta?"
"The bakery or the wholesalers with thom" I panicked. This was the point when my contractions started.
"Well should I drive you to the hospital?"
"No they will send my home my contractions have to be 3 minutes apart"
"What are they now?" She quickly asked.
"Well they've only just started so I don't know" I replied.
"Go get a hot bath and put some clean clothes on so you can relax"
"No I think hot baths slow labour or does it bring it on? Oh my god I don't know, I don't know anything" I felt really emotional and embarrassed I didn't know what to do.
"I'll ring annie" johanna rushed. "Oh my god please don't cry" she pleaded
"I'm scared" I finally realised how scared I was of childbirth.
"Annie hey erm katniss is in labour and she's panicking because none of us know what to do" after she said this she paused for a few seconds obviously listening to Annie's response "okay, okay, okay NO hot bath okay see you later" she hung up the phone.
"Right so Annie said she will get out of work and come straight here in the mean time she said to relax. Keep track of your contractions ring peeta and tell delly to come over"
Johanna stood there for a minute looking blank.
I threw my left hand out gesturing for her to ring peeta and delly.
She quickly grabbed her phone told peeta and then delly. With in seconds delly had sprinted across the victors village with Luca and phoebe in tow.
"Sorry I had to bring them I didn't have time to ring daisy or Melissa, how long apart are your contractions?"
Before I could reply Johanna jumped in "6 minutes 43 seconds, well that was the last one"
"When did your water break?"
"Like 12 minutes ago" Johanna precisely told delly.
"That means your labour could be fast"
"But you were in labour for 36 hours" I gritted through a much more painful contraction than the last.
"6 minutes 36 seconds" Johanna noted.
"Yes because my contractions were 38 minutes apart for the first 5 hours. You're going pretty fast. I'd say the baby could be here with in 2 hours at the least I think we need to take you to the hospital"
"I can't go with out peeta"
"He can meet us there, Johanna get the hospital bag" delly demanded.
"Okay" Johanna fast nodded. "But what are you doing with the kids?"
"I'll bring them and put them in the hospital nursery. Phone peeta and I'll phone Annie and let her know we're going hospital"
"I don't want to do this" I moaned.
"Should have said that to peeta nine months ago" Johanna sniggered.
"And I thought you were being nice and caring for once" i rolled my eyes slipping my feet in my slippers.
"Who's car are we taking peeta has mine?" I panicked.
"Calm down we will take mine" Johanna tried
To reassure me.
"No we will not I am not getting in a death trap" I replied.
"Well you've been in a few haven't you two hunger games and a rebellion you should be used to them"
I gave her the dirtiest look I could manage.
Delly huffed. "I'll drive come on"
I slowly walked out of the front door feeling half dread half relief that the day was finally here.
Turning out the victors village my stomach tightened and the worst contraction I had yet made me let out a small scream. Little
Did I know they would get much worse.
"I think having my tracker ripped out by you hurt much less than this" I said to Johanna.

3 deathly contractions later we mad to the hospital. Johanna ran a head to let the doctors know I was here and my contractions were 3 and a half minutes apart.
As i slowly walked in peeta and thom were stood at reception waiting. I caught peeta's eye and he rushed over.
"Hey are you okay??" He panicked.
I just nodded my lipped pressed hard together feeling stressed and waiting for the next fire ball of pain.
The nurse brought a wheelchair and
wheeled me to my suite.

20 minutes later my contractions were just under 2 minutes apart and I was about to start pushing. The only people on the room were me peeta the midwife and a student midwife. We decided for it just to be us.
"Are you ready to start pushing?" Claire the blonde nice midwife asked me.
"Not really" I groaned feeling light headed off the gas and air.
"Well you don't have choice I'm afraid" she sincerely smiled.
I placed the laughing gas down and took
A deep breath.
"Okay Katniss when your next contraction comes push long and hard" she told me.
Peeta grabbed my hand and looked just as frightened as me.

14 minutes and 26 minutes later I was on my last push.
"This it this is the last one Katniss, one more push and you'll have your baby. You can do it"
I screamed in pain and with in 3 seconds it was gone.
"Congratulations you have a daughter" the student midwife smiled who I later found out was called Lori.
"A daughter" peeta repeated shocked. "You were right"
Lori placed her in my arms and I had never felt an emotion like it.
"She's beautiful" peeta tearfully said.
"What's her name?" I whispered.
He looked shocked.
"It still stands you have first choice of names if it's a girl"
"Okay" he looked dubious. "I wanted meadow but she looks like a willow"
"Willow" I smiled. "I love it"
"Welcome to the world willow mellark" peeta said directly to her.