Birth Story Draft

 Stretchy had a difficult pregnancy. She was excited to become a mother, but struggled with gestational diabetes and other pregnancy-related ailments. Her feet were swollen and she had a large belly, so her doctor recommended inducing labor. Stretchy agreed, but was nervous. She and her partner, Jer Bear, went to the hospital the night before the induction and the nurses offered her sleeping pills, but she declined. The next morning, the nurses woke Stretchy up early and used a knitting needle to break her water. She was groggy and didn't understand what was happening. She asked about breakfast, but the nurses said she wasn't allowed to eat. However, the doctor and Stretchy had previously discussed her eating at the hospital. Stretchy didn't want to go through labor hungry, so she asked again.

Things progressed slowly throughout the day. The nurses didn't feel that things were moving fast enough, so they put Stretchy on Pitocin to force contractions. These came in fast and hard, and were painful and uncomfortable. Stretchy begged for relief and, although she had hoped for a natural birth, it was not to be. The doctors and nurses gave her an epidural and she went to sleep.

For hours, Jer Bear watched as monitors beeped and lights whirled and flashed. Whenever the baby's heart monitor made any noise, Stretchy would stir. Jer Bear rubbed her back and legs to help with blood flow. Finally, a nurse came in and said it was time. They would soon see their baby girl. The day hadn't gone as planned, but it would end happily.

Stretchy pushed and pushed but couldn't feel a thing. The doctor came in and said they would have to do something soon. Stretchy didn't want any more surprises, so she pushed extra hard and out came Emma. The nurse was surprised and told her to slow down. The doctor had barely left and was also surprised. He ran back in and out came Emma. They laid her on her mother and she smiled. The new baby girl grabbed her mother's fingers and looked up with beautiful blue eyes and blonde and ruby curls.