E'Lana's Story(COMPLETED)

C-4: Thirty Seven Weeks

|Today is Friday. Exams are only a week away. The Monday after next, everything I've absorbed through the year will be challenged. I'm so glad for this to be over, I've been studying, jotting notes, and completing everything that comes my way so I will have as great a chance as possible walking across the stage with the others. Life is unpredictable, and that is further proved by the contractions I've been having. I can't have a child and do exams at the same time. I prayed my unborn would stay in a little longer, but the contractions had been going since last period of school. Its now half past four, and I am almost positive labor has started. To the hospital we go.|

Thirty Seven Weeks

I make it here around five. My doctor praises me for succeeding this far in my pregnancy but I've read and heard enough to know that many complications can arise with babies under thirty eight weeks. Dr. Heinz tells me about the NICU, and its nothing I don't know already. My youngest brother, Ryan, who's currently five, was born at thirty three weeks, five days, and stayed in the NICU for a little over eight weeks.

Longer than the normal duration for a child his gestation because he didn't get enough oxygen in the womb and often forgot to breathe when he was out. I knew everything varied. A mother could birth a perfectly healthy, five or six pound baby at thirty six or thirty seven weeks, whereas another mother could have hers full term yet deal with several obstacles regarding said infant's health. I wanted to stay positive about this, and Dalton was making things easier and more adjustable just by being here for me.

~ Four Hours Into Labor ~

I've been at the hospital for a few hours now. It's going on nine at night. I'm trying to stray away from medical interventions and medications but that's hard when there's a nurse coming to check me every hour and asking me to rate my pain. I always degrade the level ten pain to a level three or four, just because I don't want them to tempt me with the idea of relief.

"E'Lana," Dr. Heinz says. "You're having a contraction. Can you feel it?" He asks me, staring at the monitor. I don't need to look at it, I know the jagged lines are forming mountains of hell for me. I grip Dalton's hand tightly, and squeeze my eyes shut. "Yeah, nothing too serious, I've had Braxton Hicks contractions that were worse," I laugh weakly and try to breathe through it, a soothing technique I'd learned in one of my birth classes. When it subsides, I lay back on the bed, opening my eyes to stare at the ceiling. I was definitely in labor. Today I would have a baby ...

Dr. Heinz smiles at me. "You're very good at this," I can tell he sees through my lies. I can't be the only female who's come in the hospital doing this exact same thing. Masking my distress.

My mom nudges Dalton away from me, and grabs the same hand he's just released. She looks at me with jumping eyes. "E'Lana, you should get a epidural if it gets too bad. I know you want this to go natural but I'm afraid it'll be too much for you."

I'm uncomfortable, contracting, overwhelmed with school, and concerned about my baby coming at thirty seven weeks, yet instead of encouraging me she was weakening the barrier I'd set up. "Please," I pull my hand out of hers. "I need you to work with me in this or don't say anything at all..." I feel bad about my words, but I knew I wouldn't be able to do this without my mom's support. She tears up, and leans down to press her lips to my forehead. "I'm sorry ... I love you,"

I close my eyes, another contraction hits me, and I whimper, pushing her off. My body heats up and it feels like my intestines are wrapping around each other and my child is shoving their feet into tender areas. My mom vanishes from my side, and when she comes back she lays a cool rag on my forehead. My tense body loosens up and I relax on the bed, breathing out a moan.

I could do this, I wouldn't give up. I wasn't a quitter... for the sake of my baby this would go as I'd dreamed about. And my child would be healthy and happy.

Dalton dabs trickles of my sweat away, and comes down to kiss my lips. I gain newfound motivation. "Keep it up, E'Lana. She's almost here," He whispers.

~ Fourteen Hours Into Labor ~

"Arrgghhh!" I scream.

"7..8..9..10. Breathe," A nurse instructs.

I let out a heavy exhale, and tears fall down my face. For the last twenty minutes I'd be giving it my all to naturally bring my child into this world. I look into the mirror they have held up for me, where I can see the hair of my child's head peaking. I know the ring of fire is next, where the baby is crowning. I breathe and prepare myself when I am instructed to push again. Dipping my chin into my chest I inhale deeply and push down. Someone counts the seconds, and a surge of stinging flames consumes me.

I scream again, louder. Tears blur my vision. The mirror shows what I've seen in birth videos, and I couldn't have found it more beautiful. As the head finally inches out to the neck, I am succumbed with emotions. The worst part was over. Now all I need to do is deliver her body. Yes, I said her. No, I don't know the gender, but Dalton has been calling it a her and it makes me more comfortable to give our child some form of gender instead of saying It.

Dr. Heinz demands I stop for the moment, and I catch my breath. They let me lower a hand down to feel the hair of my baby. Dalton snaps pictures from the side. He's smiling from ear to ear, and his eyes are glossy.

A few seconds later, I hear those miracle words.

"Push, E'Lana."

So I do. I don't pay attention to anything or anyone else. I sync with my body and focus on the task at hand, and within a matter of seconds I feel a miraculous sensation. The length of my child's body is guided out swiftly, but its like time slows down for me to savor the memorable moment.

"It's a boy!"

A boy.

He cries, and the beautiful, angelic, sound triggers my weeps of utter joy. Our nameless infant is placed over my chest, and I wrap my arms around him in a loving embrace. The nurses work around me to dry the blood and guck off as much as possible, and I let them although I would have been just as happy to have him in his natural state. Dalton is next to me, he kisses my temple, my lips, then he leans down to share the love with the son he'd assumed was a girl for so long.

I am in heaven, and I close my eyes. My baby, my son - our son - he was here.