Chapter 158
“But I made you laugh! That sis, is what’s important.” Katie leaned against the sink, grinning.
“Yes you did.” Lynn sighed. “Sorry. I think I’m freaking out a little.”
“That’s understandable.” Katie reached over, squeezing Lynn’s shoulder. When Lynn first told her about the decision to give birth at home, she thought her sister was acting a little reckless. No woman in her right mind gave birth at home, without the use of an epidural. At least no one she knew. She’d even tried to talk Lynn out of it, encouraging her to go to a hospital. Lynn, of course, shot her down. After meeting Lynn’s midwives, asking extensive questions, and reading a couple of the natural birthing books, she still wasn’t entirely inboard. “There’s still time to go to the hospital.”
“Please don’t start, Katie.” Lynn leaned forward, rubbing her forehead with one hand.
“I wasn’t trying to, sweetie.” Katie rubbed her sister’s back when she spoke. “It was merely a suggestion.”
Lynn grunted before taking in an intense breath. “I need my ball.”
Katie helped Lynn waddle back into the bedroom. “You need to sit down slowly. It will help a little with the dizziness.”
“Thanks,” Lynn whispered when she settled back onto the ball.
“Hey babies, your auntie can’t wait to meet you both.” Katie’s palm splayed across Lynn’s stomach when she looked up at her sister.
Lynn squeezed her eyes tightly closed when another contraction hit. “Oh God, they’re getting closer.”
Katie winced when Lynn reached out, grasping her hand. For a moment she was certain her sister was going to break her fingers with the intense squeeze. “Do you want to move to the bed?” Even after reading numerous articles about home birthing, Katie felt a bit lost.
“No.” Lynn opened her eyes, swallowing visibly when she looked at Katie. “Where’s Alexis?”
“She and Aimee were setting up the birthing tank. Do you want me to go see if they’re finished?”
Lynn swallowed again, nodding when she looked back down at the floor and rocked back on the ball.
“I’ll go find Alexis.” Katie squeezed Lynn’s hand before hurrying down the hall to seize Alexis. 31
Lynn stood, slowly waddling across the floor. Taking a glance at the clock, she saw it was after five A.M. Already she’d gently bounced on the ball, walked up and down the hallway five times, and been inside the birthing tank. The contractions were increasing and when Charlene checked her dilation, she was at six. William was awake. He and Aimee were watching the children while Charlene and Katie brought the birthing tank back up to the correct temperature. Elise, the second midwife, arrived not long after Charlene with the remainder of supplies they would need. An EMT team was on standby and Doctor Rollins had been notified of the impending birth.
“Do you want to lie back down a while?” Alexis asked when she squeezed Lynn’s fingertips.
“No. I…” Lynn moaned when another contraction hit. “Oh God that was a bad one. I want to go back in the water.” She took in a breath, barely able to focus on the floor beneath her when she and Alexis walked back to the room with the birthing tank.
“They’re getting harder,” Alexis said to Charlene when they walked inside.
Lynn yanked off her robe, tossing it to the floor when she stepped beside the birthing tank. Alexis and Elise both helped Lynn to slip inside the pool. Alexis pulled off her robe, leaving on only the bikini she wore beneath it when she slipped inside the pool with Lynn. Lynn nearly wept when the warm water engulfed her aching body as she leaned against Alexis’s shoulder, closing her eyes.
“Do you want some more applesauce,” Elise asked when she knelt beside the substantial blue birthing tank.
Lynn still wondered why it was called a birthing tank when to her it just looked like an oversized kiddie pool. She opened her eyes, glaring at Elise. “No. I don’t want any more food!” Elise backed away.
Charlene plugged up Lynn’s iPod, pushing play on the list of classical songs Lynn had chosen for the birth. “Is the volume too high, Lynn?”
“No,” Lynn mumbled. “It’s perfect.” She rolled her head to one side when Katie walked inside the room. “Can you light the candles?”
“Of course I can,” Katie smiled. After locating a candle lighter, Katie lit the wick on seven scented candles around the room.
Lynn looked up, focusing on the flickering embers. No matter how hard she tried to force herself to concentrate, she was having trouble maintaining focus. “Ow,” she yelled when another contraction hit. She shifted in the birthing tank, pressing back against Alexis.