"Easy now, just try an' relax."
Emeline smiled and relaxed, glad to have Barnabas here. Usually, men were exiled to the front porch during childbirth, only allowed back in after all was done and neatened up, but this was not the organized event tended by several ladies of the house.
"Thank you." For a moment, the pains let up, and she caressed his cheek. "Soon, love..."
Couldn't be soon enough!
Bonnie returned and set up what she needed, and just having the young woman here made Emeline feel at ease.
"Mrs. Pike I'm going need to check how things are going?"
"Yes, of course." No embarrassment or shame, maybe that was the intent of the pain. It hurt so bad that nothing else really mattered, and you were willing to do anything to make it stop. "Do what you have to."
There was another pain, relieved somewhat by the warm towels, and Emeline tried her best to keep from tensing, but she could tell things were progressing quickly!
After checking Emeline's and the baby's progress, Bonnie stood up straight and smiled reassuringly, "Everything seems to be going fine...it won't be much longer."
Since there wasn't much to do at this point, Bonnie thought about her own appearance. The slicker she had worn on the ride here had offered some protection, but the bottom quarter of her skirt was still very much wet. The dry skirt and blouse that Emeline had mentioned wasn't there since her husband had rushed back to her when she experienced a severe contraction. Bonnie didn't mind that she didn't have a change of clothes and so to make the best of a bad situation she picked up the bowl that had the cold water in it and went over to an empty chair to wring out the bottom of her skirt the best way she could.
Thankfully, Mister Pike was too busy with wife his to notice what she was up to and after doing what she could with the skirt, she got up and took the bowl to the kitchen. While she was there, she added more wood to the stove and after emptying the bowl she filled it warm water. She then filled up the pot with more water before returning to the Pikes. As she approached them, she said, "How are you both doing?"
@ [Bongo]
@ [Flip
"I think it's time," Emeline gasped, squeezing Barnabas' hand. "The pains are persistent." Unrelenting, almost overwhelming, and it was all Emeline could do not to scream out.
When Bonnie checked, she would see the top of the baby's head starting to emerge, a shock of red hair leading the way! And while to Emeline, the progression seemed painfully slow, the birth progressed quickly, and in a few minutes the head had emerged, all wrinkly and damp, but of good color.
A few seconds later, though, it was evident that the cord had wrapped around the baby's neck...
Pike, holding her hand had no idea what he was supposed to do, how he could help as the pain drove Em to scream. This was not something he was prepared for. Mopping her forehead was useless, he knew that much, and with the baby breaching it was clear that =something had to be done, and quickly. It was his hope Bonnie Campbell was experienced in this child-birthing situation.
"Ma'am, you just tell me what to do." He said, prepared to do whatever was necessary for his wife and firstborn who appeared to be arriving as he spoke, complete with a shock of red hair! Even he saw the problem with the umbilical cord, but should he try and untangle it, or cut it, or what? He would never look at pregnancy the same way ever again!
The presence of a cord wrapped around a baby's neck was a somewhat common occurrence during childbirth due to all the moving the baby does. Usually, the cord was loose enough to slip over the baby's head but this time it was different. Bonnie frowned, as she felt how tight it was and even though she had done this once before, it was nonetheless a daunting situation.
Since there was only one course of action, she looked around to see if she could see any scissors to cut the cord with. Thankfully, there was a sewing basket nearby. She turned to Barnabas, "You need to get a pair of scissors from the basket over there and quickly wash it with some alcohol. Bring it back to me and then I want to hold the cord so that I can cut it."
@ [Flip]
@ [Bongo
"Yes Ma'am!" Barnabas responded and seized the sissors as he dashedf to the kitchen and saturated the sissors in whiskey then dunked them in the hot water on the stove, thinking that was the best thing to do. This was the moment when that child would be born, even though he or she was in a bit of trouble, be believed that Bonnie Campbell knew what she was abouit with this child birthing business.
Bonnie's urgency alerted Emeline to the fact that there was trouble, but there was nothing she could do about it except to stay calm and relaxed, and to let Bonnie do her job. Taking deep breaths and gripping onto the blankets, she closed her eyes, knowing that in a few moments it would be over, one way or another.
"That's the Pike coming out," she muttered with a small grin, trying to reassure Bonnie that she trusted her, "stubborn, has to make things complicated..."
Soon...and Dear God, let it be all right!
(My dice roll makes it a boy!)
There was little he could do but stand around and gawk, of course as the family grew, he would know more of what to do and how to do it. This was his indoctrination into childbirth at home, where most children entered the world.
He marveled at all of it as if he were a boy at his first county fair, which would be a poor example, though the feeling of awe and wonder were just about the same, save that it concerned a fragile new life that was about to join the Pike family.
While Barnabas was getting the scissors, Bonnie inspected the cord and found the place where she would need to cut it. Once the cut was made the cord would be loose enough to unwrap and the rest of the delivery would be trouble free. Hopefully, the baby would be fine despite the ordeal.
After Barnabas had brought the scissors back, she instructed him on where he needed to hold down the cord, "I want to hold the cord here and here. Then clamp it down as hard as you can so that I can cut it. Don't worry, the baby will be fine."
(OCC - not sure what else you want to happen, so Bonnie can do what she has to do and then give the baby to either Barnabas or Em)
@ [Flip]
@ [Bongo
"Yes Ma'am," He replied and immediately gripped the chord as she requested. "Ready when you are, Miss Campbell." Suddenly there was no hesitation in doing what was asked, and he trusted that Miss Campbell knew what she was doing. This was where he was learning, not simply fetching water and towels.
"Easy now girl, this one's almost born." He said to Em softly.
@JulieS @Bongo