“I can’t move them at all.”
“That’s good,” the doctor said. “That means the medicine is doing its job.” She pushed both of Ella’s feet up towards the rest of her body and then gently placed her knees to the side. I winced because it looked a little uncomfortable. “I have to warn you though, Ella,” she said as she started to examine her. “In order for you to push, we’ll have to lower the dosage. We don’t want you to be in too much pain, but you have to be able to feel at least a little in order to push effectively.” The doctor’s eyebrows furrowed a little and she sat back on the bed, finished with her examination. “And it looks like the time is now. You’re fully dilated. Are you ready to push?”
My heart skipped at the doctors words and excitement rushed through my body. I looked to Ella to see the excitement on her face but was confused when I saw she started crying.
“What’s wrong?” I asked her, confused in her sudden change in emotion.
She looked up at me with tears welled in her eyes. “I don’t know,” she cried, the tears falling from her eyes. “I’m a little scared, I guess.”
I kissed her brow. “Everything’s going to be ok. I’ll be right here with you the whole time.”
“What if I can’t do it? What if something bad happens?” She sniffled and wiped away the tears from her cheeks. “The baby has been safe in there for nine months, what if something goes wrong?”
“Ella,” Dr. Bronson’s voice rang out and we both looked to her. “It is normal to be apprehensive about giving birth, especially if you’ve never done it before.” She gave Ella a supportive smile. “Your baby is ready to be born. They want to meet you and you’ll do great. Next to your husband, I too, will be here the whole time.” She patted Ella’s leg and tilted her head, waiting for her response. I never asked her before if she has her own children, but I’m sure she does. Or she had the best bedside manner I’ve ever encountered. Either way, I just gained a new appreciation for her.
Ella wiped her tears again and then sat up a little straighter. “Ok, I can do this.” She took in a deep breath as if she was readying herself for battle.
“Good girl,” I said, wiping away the last of her tears.
“Ok,” Dr. Bronson said, clapping her hands together. “Showtime!”
The next few minutes were a flurry of activity. People entered the room with a lot of equipment and something that resembled a little crib on wheels. The bed folded down and transformed to allow the doctor to get even closer to Ella and I laughed because all I could think about was how I wanted to call the bed Optimus Prime now that I knew about its transforming capabilities. Ella looked at me funny when I laughed, wanting in on the joke.
“Later,” I told her. Now was not the time to tell her I’m thinking about cartoons from the eighties as she’s about to start giving birth to our first child. “I’m going to give an update to our parents.” She nodded.
“Hurry back,” she said, and then she winked at me. Even in this moment, when I knew she was scared and nervous, she could still make my blood run hot. I shook my head at her and made my way to the waiting room. Sometime last night, I couldn’t really remember when, I called our parents and let them know Ella went into labor and they all insisted on coming to the hospital. Ella and I both appreciated their support, and also appreciated that they all understood that Ella and I wanted privacy during the birth. Both our moms were very understanding, even though I knew either one of them would give anything to be in there when the baby was born.
When I made it back into the room, even more people were there. All of them seemed focused on the jobs they were performing. I went back to my side of her bed and gripped her hand, kissing her forehead.
“Both our moms give their love. And your dad said, and I quote, “Go get ’em.”” Ella laughed, which was the best sound I’d heard all morning.
“Ok, Ella, we’re going to do a few practice pushes.” Dr. Bronson was literally right up in Ella’s business. I imagined Ella would be a little uncomfortable with the doctor’s proximity, but she seemed unfazed. “Your epidural should be wearing off a little making it easier for you to feel the contractions, but until then you can look at that screen. When the line starts to move up, you’re having a contraction. You need to pull your knees to the side and up towards your head. Then you need to push. Porter will count to ten and then you can rest, ok?” Ella nodded and looked at me with worried eyes. I smiled at her.
“Everything will be ok,” I said, softly, trying to make her feel more at ease.