Jiao’lan thrashed, sloshing water out of the tub. “Can’t…oh, I’m doin’ it! Can’t stop…” The talons on her feet were clenched so tightly blood was seeping into the water from cuts on the soles of her feet. “s**t.” The nurse-midwife hissed. “Jiao’lan…look at me, I’m going to try and…hold…everything open and…and pull on the tail.” Mellanie said, grasping for words and coherent thought as she grasped the tiny tail with one hand and applied slow, and steady traction.
As much of a relief she felt to be pushing the baby’s position was awkward, making her work all the harder. As the tail eased out Jiao’lan gave a screaming yelp. “Pull it out!” Mellanie kept the same tension on the tail. “Push as hard as you can! Get pissed off at me!” That tactic seemed to work a little better. The petite woman bore down letting out a guttural groan as the legs slipped free with an audible sound. They were still in the thick, membranous caul. Mellanie grabbed the hips, knowing the infant couldn’t stay inside the birth canal much longer and, in a last ditch effort, braced her foot on the side of the tub and pulled. “PUSH!” A ripping sounds was masked by a blood-curdling scream, which died to whimpers.
Splashing could be heard as the infant was pulled, still completely in the amniotic sac, from the water and freed from the rather gelatinous organ. As soon as the air touched the infant, a thready, warbling cry could be heard. The midwife’s eyes welled with tears, trembling from her rush of adrenaline as she began to clean the child off and look her over. The weak crying grew stronger, more shrill, and loud.
Jiao’lan eased herself into a semi-sitting position. “Give me my haju’ri!” She demanded, her voice raspy and weak. The infant was still connected to the umbilical chord, but Mellanie felt no real need to cut it just yet and handed the slippy, squalling child over to its mother.
Her eyes welled with tears as she embraced the infant. “Oh…oh…s-so…p-p-perfect…” She breathed, far too relieved to even see whether or not the child was a boy or a girl. Jiao’lan was shaking terribly, a large, watery smile on her face. “Shh.” She soothed the infant and began murmuring softly in her native language.
The midwife merely sat on her calves, watching the new mother, and child bond.
While normally level-headed, Mellanie’s next action would have been to retrieve Keeta from the corridor, but her mind was elsewhere.
She had thought, for a few tense moments, that she was going to deliver a stillborn baby.
