Baby for the Midwife. Fiona McArthur
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the ball in the corner of the shower room.
Two rails on the wall gave Mel safe purchase as she lowered herself onto the ball and when the handheld shower was directed onto her lower abdomen where the contractions hurt most, she sighed blissfully. ‘Oh, my. That is good.’
The next pain began and she pushed the nozzle close to her stomach, streaming the hot water across her abdomen. Georgia could see she’d gained relief from the change.
Georgia pulled the shower chair up behind Mel and gestured to Tim. ‘If you sit behind her like this you won’t get too wet and can rub her back firmly with your massager when she gets pain. Your back will get a rest, too.’
Tim settled himself and soon they were back into a rhythm.
Georgia could see they were getting close to the end of the first stage of labour and she quietly went back into the main room to ensure what she needed was ready. She toyed with the idea of phoning Max but held off until she had everything ready because sometimes the arrival of the doctor put pressure on the woman.
The baby resuscitation trolley was in the corner and she checked the oxygen and suction were both functioning, even though she didn’t expect to need either.
A green-draped trolley held a kidney dish, clamps, scissors and some sponges, and she turned back the bed for Mel and her baby to lie on afterwards.
A tray rested on the bench in case Mel bled too much after the birth. It contained the IV line and infusion and drugs they might need. She glanced around and couldn’t think of anything else she should prepare.
She went back into the bathroom. ‘So where do you want to have your baby, Mel?’
‘Don’t I have to have it on the bed?’
‘Not if you don’t want to.’ It amazed Georgia when women did not realise they had choices in birth position. ‘You can use the birth stool or stand up or kneel down. It doesn’t matter. Whichever you find the most comfortable.’
Mel glanced at Tim. ‘How about I use the stool for the pushing and maybe move to the bed if I want to at the last minute? I remember last time and it would be good if I could just lie back with our baby after the birth.’
She looked at Tim again and remembered some-thing. ‘And I don’t want the needle afterwards because I want Tim to cut the cord when it stops pulsating.’
Georgia nodded. ‘That’s fine. If your placenta doesn’t come on its own after half an hour or you bleed heavily, you might need the needle, though.’
Mel checked with Tim and he nodded. ‘That sounds OK,’ he said to Mel encouragingly.
‘Fine,’ Mel said.
Georgia handed her a bottle of water and a straw to sip with. ‘I’ll have the stool ready when you want to get out of the shower.’
‘Do I have to get out?’
Georgia laughed. ‘Not if you don’t want to. When you get to the pushing stage, you can swap the ball for the stool in the shower.’
‘Won’t the doctor mind?’
‘No, the doctor won’t mind.’ Max’s voice came from behind the bathroom door and they all looked up. Georgia felt that warm pleasure she was beginning to associate with Max’s presence.
His voice came again. ‘Hi, Mel. I’m Max Beresford, the doctor on call. Sister can come out when she’s ready and fill me in. You keep doing what you’re doing.’
Georgia and Mel exchanged smiles and Georgia slipped out of the door.
Max watched her shut it behind her. ‘Hello, Sister,’ he said. In his mind he said, hello you gorgeous thing. His stomach dropped as she smiled up at him. She looked incredible.
Her eyes were shining with anticipation and yet her movements were calm and unhurried and she exuded an aura of confidence in the natural progression of events.
He fancied her badly. The tension on his side was building every minute that he was with her. Over the last few, amazingly wonderful weeks in Byron they had become closer than ever.
He knew she still needed recovery time, and he needed to give her that to have any chance for her to trust herself fully to a man again—and he wanted that more than anything.
She was way too vulnerable to make any physical demands on, he could tell by her body language if he even brushed against her, and no matter how much he ached to hold her and make her his, she had to be the one to initiate any change in that.
He had to protect himself too because all he could see on her side was appreciation of the safe harbour he provided and he was becoming more fascinated every day.
Even knowing she would be at work today was distracting but worth the opportunity to see her during the day. He hadn’t been able to stay away once he’d known that it was Georgia’s first morning back at work.
She was looking at him with that tiny frown he wanted to smooth away with his fingers, and he pulled himself back into the present. She expected him to say something, not stand there like a goose. ‘So here I am. Were you going to call me at all?’
She looked at him quizzically. ‘Yes, Doctor.’
Maybe she wasn’t sure if he was serious so he smiled to reassure her.
‘Mel sounds fine. I’m here before I go into the rooms for my day patients. I’ve read your notes and you’re obviously happy with her progress and condition. Do you want me to say hello to her or just leave it until later?’
‘Would you mind popping your head in to say hi now? I don’t think she’ll be long anyway, and it’s better than meeting when the baby is here.’
Before Max could even open the door they heard Mel’s voice. ‘Georgia-a-a.’
Georgia stepped back into the bathroom and rested her hand on Mel’s shoulder. ‘It’s OK. What’s happening?’
‘In the middle of that pain I wanted to push, but the feeling has gone now.’
‘That’s fine. Each pain will probably give you that feeling for a longer time and then it will come to the stage when you won’t be able to do anything but push.’
Mel nodded.
Georgia went on. ‘It’s all good.’
Mel chewed her lip. ‘I remember I hated this part last time.’
‘That’s OK. You might have been scared because your body is taking over. Don’t hate it. Work with it and listen to your body.’
‘I’m trying.’
‘You’re doing amazingly well.’ Max’s quiet voice came from the door.
‘You can come in,’ Mel said with half a smile in the pause between contractions. ‘I really don’t care if the world’s in here and at least you can help me if I need it.’
They could hear the smile in Max’s voice. ‘Which you won’t as Georgia is there and you’re all doing so well. I won’t come in unless you or Sister call me.’
The pains increased their intensity and soon Mel was pushing gently with each urge. The next minute she looked up at Tim and glared at him. ‘I want to move. Get me out of the bathroom.’
That was a good sign. Georgia smiled as Tim almost fell over in his hurry to do what Mel asked. They stood and she moved between pains towards the bed. Mel looked up once as she passed Max and nodded to him.
‘Hi, Doctor,’ she said briefly.
By the time she’d eased herself back on the bed her baby was almost ready to be born, and Tim had paled to an interesting shade of alabaster.
‘That’s the way to do it, nice and slow.’ Georgia helped Mel lean back onto the beanbag and slipped her gloves on.
Max