Christmas Themed birth story. Mary and Joseph are preparing to open a Christmas Village when a snow storm hits. As they try to protect their livestock and seasonal displays in the barn, Mary goes into labour.
Co-written with my fav - @wootenbassett75 💜 Content: unplanned birth, clothing birth, stimulation to aid labour, older parents, character names are satire and not even mentioned lol. 17.8k words.
Also on AO3 and DeviantArt
URGENT WEATHER FORECAST
“Attention all residents of the tri-country area, please be aware of a major snow storm inbound. We will go to Charlie for the latest, Charlie?”
The camera cut away from the finely dressed news anchor, panning to a blonde in front of a large screen showing the local area, along with nothing but snow and ice estimates.
“Thank you Dan. This storm is currently forecasted to be dropping over thirty six inches of snow over the next two days. Snowfall rates tonight and into tomorrow morning are estimated to reach over three inches an hour in some areas of the north counties.”
There was a pause in the Weathergirl’s speaking as she examined her notes.
“Wind and dropping temperatures are going to make this blizzard among the worst we have seen in over twenty years. Wind gusts up to forty miles an hour with a wind chill dropping the temperature to negative ten degrees. Emergency services are warning that they won’t be able to respond to calls during the night due to the risks on the roads, so stay in, bundle up, and stay safe.”
It cut back to the male anchor, Dan.
“And it goes without saying, bring your pets inside, if you’re cold, good chance they are too. This has been Dan Stevens and Charlie Clearwater with your urgent weather update…”
—————
The ‘Christmas Village’ was more of a blizzard nightmare. The small attractions that the kids could sit on, the Christmas tree forest, even the ticket booth itself was so covered in snow that the village just disappeared. Joseph trudged through the snow, the wind already so fierce that he fought to stay vertical. The cold was in his bones now, and he quietly cursed himself for not believing the forecast. Weathermen always over exaggerated, it was his experience, his wife’s, his fathers, hell, everyone in this damned county knew not to believe the weather forecasts. So why in the name of all that is holy had this one time been correct? He was actively making his way to the barn. As soon as the storm rolled in, he and his wife started bringing the animals inside.
Today was to be the opening day of the village, the reindeer all out and prepared for the sleigh rides they offered. It was Joseph's job to bring them all in, while Mary was to get some of the hay and the stables prepped for however long this would last. Of course he had tried to tell her their eldest son would help, after all, he just turned fifteen and was more than capable, but he wasn’t going to argue with her about it, especially in her current… condition. So he was left with his three younger siblings at the house while Mary and Joseph went to the Christmas Village just down the road from their home. Joseph finally reached the barn, mostly by luck, as he couldn’t actually see the door till he’d nearly ran into it. He furiously kicked at the snow, trying to unwedge the side door they used.
“Bastard.” He regretted speaking instantly, feeling the freezing air invade his lungs. Enough of the snow was kicked to permit him to open the door. The wind fought back of course, but a determination and desire for warmth overcame the blizzard. He was in, his dark brown winter coveralls coated in snow. “Honey?” He called, trying to pinpoint his wife.
“In here.” Mary shouted from the other side of the barn, her voice raised to be heard over the wind that had started howling.
Her gloved hands gripped the wooden handle of the rake as she dragged it across the floor of one of the stables. trying to separate the clumps for the reindeer and horses. Whilst there was heating inside the barn, the temperature outside had dropped to such a level that she kept on most of the layers upon layers of clothing. Plus she didn’t have the motivation to attempt to remove any items by herself; dressing was a two-person job these days during the final weeks of pregnancy. Pausing her raking for a moment, Mary took a couple of deep breaths and arched her spine, placing a fist into the lower curve of her back where it was twinging from all the physical labour. She wasn’t regretting her decision to help out with the Christmas Village and make sure all their animals, props and decorations survived the storm; Lord knows if their teenage son was here instead he’d only be moping around and dragging his feet and doing a half-assed job. Which would only stress her out more than if she did it herself.
“What’s it like out there darling?” She asked as the sound of Joseph’s giant winter shoes clomped nearer and he appeared at the doorframe of the stable, absolutely covered in snow. “Ha… you look like Jack Nicholson in The Shining.” Mary laughed, leaning slightly on the rake and cradling her bump.
Joseph laughed.
“Should I start chasing you through the corn maze then?” He asked, coming up to plant a kiss on her cheek. “I think I got an axe around here somewhere to complete the look.”
The barns layout was simple in design. Where he and his wife stood, stables housed the horses and reindeer. Towards the rear they had the sleigh, while the corner in the far side housed the hay bales. He could see that Mary had already moved some to feed the animals, a task he’d planned to do as soon as he got here. Joseph gave his wife a disapproving look.
“What did I tell you about those hay bales? I don’t want you lifting them, the doc said it could strain you too much.” As he spoke, he took a small set of pliers, going into the stall with her to break the thin sheet of ice forming over the animals water buckets.
“Yeah well…. I didn’t want to wait for you to get back. There’s a lot to do and I wanted to keep busy and keep warm.” She said dismissively. Resuming her two-handed grip on the rake Mary continued to pull at the mound of hay she’d left by the stall door to create an even layer on the ground for the animals.
Standing wide legged not only for balance but from the baby nestled in her pelvis, she was grateful to be wearing her shorter length coat to allow for the more secure stance. With thermal leggings and a long-sleeve insulated maternity top, an oversized knitted jumper over that, knee high brown boots, a scarf and fur lined padded coat, the mother-to-be was wrapped up tighter than a burrito.
The horses in the stall were more interested in the newly available water now Joseph has cracked the thin layer of ice, giving Mary some space to work. She lasted a half dozen strokes across the floor but but wasn’t long before she felt the returning tightening in her belly. Pausing her raking for a moment, she muttered quietly. “Plus that ship has sort of sailed…” she replied to Joseph’s earlier comment about being worried she’d strain herself. Planting the rake into the floor, Mary held firm to the wooden handle as she calmly breathed through another contraction, shifting her hips slightly side to side beneath her thick layers of clothing.
“You know, they say marriage works better when partners listen.” Joseph chuckled. He came up behind her, rubbing her back through the layers. Joseph doubted it would be much more than an afterthought of pressure to her thanks to all the warm clothes. “If your back is hurting then sit down. We will be done here soon then we’re gonna get you home and off your feet. That isn’t a request or suggestion. Your stubborn streak is gonna give me more gray hairs than the kids.”
Joseph kissed her cheek again, then grabbed a rake of his own to pick up where she left off. The reindeer were getting cabin fever it seemed, tossing hay out of their stalls into the center of the barns walkway. The horses at least seemed content. He’d managed to clear a sleeping area for one stall and lay out fresh hay before glancing back at the horses.
“Think we should put the coats on the horses hon? Can’t imagine they’re feeling too warm right now.”
“Sure.” Mary said, unzipping her warm coat and bracing her hands into her lower back as she waddled over to collect the first of the four coats for the horses.
“Jeeze, these are heavy.” She complained, lifting it onto her forearm to carry it over to Joseph. “Or am I just too pregnant to do anything these days? Here.”
Joseph was beside the horse, their chestnut brown pride and joy, settling the animal and getting them into position. As Mary lifted the thick insulated double-layered coat she felt the gentle twisting of her uterine muscles. A sharp inhale through her nose, the cold whipping into her pink-tinged nostrils, and she breathed her way through it quietly. She wasn’t surprised Joseph hadn’t picked up on her earlier comment, the ship having sailed i.e. there’s no point in worrying about me straining myself cos I’m already in labour darling. But the storm was the main focus, it had to be. They’ve invested all their money on this damn Christmas village in an attempt to make more income during the long winter months. They had to keep all the props and the sleigh and the decorations safe or it would be money down the drain. Plus of course their animals. The extension of their already large family. They needed to be warm, safe, and calm. And her husband would be none of those things for the animals if he knew she was in labour. It was their fourth child. Her body knew the drill and it would be hours yet. No need to worry or panic unnecessarily.
While Joseph busied himself with securing the coat on the first horse, Mary waddled back to the rack to collect the next one. Her hand cradled her belly, as much as was possible through the layers of clothing, and allowed herself a brief grimace while facing away from her husband when the contraction peaked.
The two stalls Joseph cleaned next were easy. The mares quite literally organized their excrement, only doing their ‘business’ in the corners opposite of where they slept. He scooped it all out, then threw down fresh hay for them as well as wood shavings as makeshift bedding. Joseph only spared a momentary glance at his wife over by the rack where they’d tie the horses for cleaning as well as stored many of the cleaning supplies. Catching her breath he assumed, as per usual. She really should have told their eldest to come here instead.
The horses now settled, Joseph walked towards Mary to get food for the reindeer. The feed was kept in a large plastic trash can, the intention being to prevent any rats from getting inside. Each reindeer would get four scoops to go with their hay.
“You know you are allowed to sit down for a second right? Baby girl’s the boss here I think.” Joseph said as he returned towards the stalls. “If she wants mama to sit down and relax you should listen. Seeing as you don’t wanna listen to your husband.” His teasing manner was exposed by the smile he couldn’t hide.
Mary smiled, while her hand moved affectionately across her belly over the chunky knit of her oversized jumper. “She’s restless. As is her mother.”
Mary took the scoop from Joseph’s hand. “I’ll feed the reindeer, can you start putting the plastic sheeting over the sleigh? If anything starts dripping through the roof I don’t want that to get any water damage.”
It took some manoeuvring around her bump, but Mary successfully bent over to fill the large scoop with the feed for the reindeer and then waddled over to the first stall. She took a breather at the doorframe, pouring the contents into the metal trough while she breathed through yet another contraction. They had a little bite to them now, but it wasn’t unexpected or unfamiliar. Labouring was something her body handled well, she’d done it three times already and could do it again. They just had to get everything finished up in here first and then she could think about baby number four.
She kept focused, pacing back and forth between the container of feed and each of the animal stalls that lined one side of the barn. One, two, three and four scoops. Then on to the next one. And the next. Moving seemed to help with the unease bubbling away inside, brought on by the storm she assumed. It never occurred to her that her restless energy was due to the advancement of her labour. Not until one particularly bad pain had her bracing the door to one of the stalls and dropping the empty plastic scoop to the floor. “Ohhh…..” the groan slipped out before she could stop it.
Joseph had just finished covering the sleigh with a tarp. Seeing as it was kept in a barn, it was always a little on the dirty side, but dryer sheets were stuffed into every nook and cranny to stave off rats from making nests. They’d need to make a note on their fridge to unravel it the night before opening so that he could properly clean it and polish the surface. He was about to double check some of the other decorations when Mary’s unintentional groan called to him. It wasn’t hard to spot her.
“Mary?” He called. Her lack of an immediate response churned something in his stomach. The barn was crossed before he even realized he’d started to move. “Darlin you ok?” A hand rested on her back, a comfort he imparted even when she wasn’t carrying a child. “That wasn’t just a hard kick, was it?”
Mary shook her head, blowing out all the air in her lungs slowly through pursed lips. “Hooooo…. Nope…. I think this little one might have decided to join us for Christmas.”
Still leaning against the stall door with her gloved hands flat against the wood, Mary turned her head towards her husband, a nervous smile brightening her face. “Typical timing eh? You said we’d be lucky to open the Christmas Village before baby comes.”
Once the worst of the contraction had ebbed away, she straightened and pushed away from the door, instead curling towards her husband for a reassuring embrace.
Flashbacks of the previous kids' births came to him. How long did it actually take? If his memory was right, their eldest was well over a twenty four hour labor. Their second and third born had taken slightly longer than that, but the couple had assumed it was simply because they were more attuned to knowing the signs. He’d missed it this time somehow, unless this truly was the beginning.
“She just wanted to be a helper is all.” He whispered as they embraced. Marys belly pressed against his stomach, bringing a smile to his face. Joseph’s awe towards his wife was biblical. Everything this woman accomplished was inspiring, especially when taking into account how she had raised three great children, and had been the one to tell Joseph they could go for a fourth.
“How close are they? Past the… shoot I can’t remember how many minutes we were tracking with the others.” As he stood there, the love of his life in his arms, he swayed with her, slow like a waltz.
Mary lifted her arms, looping them automatically around her husband’s neck as he began to sway. It was as if he knew exactly how to help her in this moment, before the thoughts could even formulate inside her own head. Moving helped, it always did when she was labouring. Though it had been quite a number of years since they last did this; they had a fifteen year old, a ten year old, and a seven year old. Medical advice was bound to have changed in that time, but the ancient act of childbirth was all too familiar to Mary and her body.
“I’ve not been timing them.” She confessed, resting her head on the cushion of Joseph’s thick winter jacket. “Assumed they were just braxtons at first, but they’re definitely consistent, and stronger than practice ones.”
Inhaling deeply, Mary let the familiar comforting scent of Joseph’s aftershave fill her lungs and bring a feeling of stability into her veins. “I want to keep busy though. There’s still so much to do out here and you know I’m not going to be able to relax into this birth until it’s all done and we’re sure we haven’t lost all our money with damaged decorations and sick animals.”
“Fair enough hon.” He said. The couple stayed there for a moment longer, neither particularly wanting to break the contact. Mary was right though, they couldn’t delay what they were doing, and just sitting awaiting the baby to come wasn’t their way. Only a handful of tasks really remained, finishing feeding, double checking the decorations, making sure no snow was leaking in, and ensuring the roof was still stable with all the added weight. Forty-five minutes, maybe an hour tops. As soon as they were done Joseph would take Mary home, put the kids in front of the tv with some dinner, and get her comfortable.
The embrace finally broke, his arms moving to hold the underside of her belly. Even through the thick clothes he could tell their daughter was active.
“No heavy lifting, deal? Only light busywork for you Miss.” His voice was stern, leaving little to no room for argument.
“Fine.” Mary scoffed, but couldn’t deny it was probably for the best. Not that she even could do any heavy lifting these days, but there was a small part of her that instantly balked when told she couldn’t do something. “I’ll carry on feeding the reindeer then.”
With a grunt of effort Mary bent down to pick up the plastic scoop for the animal feed from where it had dropped to the floor and moved around the barn to continue the task at hand. She pulled the zip on her coat open a little, finding her body temperature warmer with the gentle moving and contractions. They didn’t have a clock in the barn, and she had left her phone in the house for the kids to play games. So she didn’t know how much time passed before the next contraction bubbled on the horizon. It wasn’t any worse than the previous one and at least now she didn’t have to hide her expressions, or her stopping mid-task in order to breathe through the discomfort.
Joseph left to go up to the loft. After taking extra measures on the decorations he moved on to checking the roof for any signs of wear or weakness. He found none, and was silently thankful that Mary had insisted on them installing a new roof during the summer. He, admittedly, had gotten distracted after that.
Mary was walking, well, walking was the wrong word. Joseph leant on the railing of the loft, simply enjoying the sight of her. Four kids, the concept still boggled him. They both originally agreed to three, but when their youngest started school, well, things happened. Every few minutes he watched her stop, adjust, take a deep breath, and continue. He knew she was uncomfortable, hurting even, but he also knew her stubborn streak. More than once he contemplated going down, especially as her contractions made her become audible over the storm outside. But, she’d just say she was fine and to continue with his chores.
He gave her one last look, her hand either on her lower back, or cupping her belly, before going back to the loft to look around. There, he found his next distraction. An old collection of items they’d found after buying the barn and its surrounding area. It was obviously a very old nativity complete with a manger and wooden cutouts for all those involved. Joseph appreciated the craftsmanship and thought it would be a perfect addition to their Christmas Village.
Downstairs, Mary continued her slow moving feeding of the reindeers. She would pause with each new contraction that arrived, welcoming the sensations that she knew were signs of steady progress. Their daughter was curled up in her pelvis, the solid feeling of the head had been a source of lightening crotch the last few days. But now with the contractions that pressure was becoming more irrefutable, her gait wider than ever, and each move felt like her body was loosening up and getting ready for an indescribable adventure. She rode out a few more contractions in a short space of time; in the next stall, by the plastic bucket of animal feed, then one happened mid-way between the two and she had to drop a scoop full of feed in order to hold onto the wooden support beam in the centre of the barn.
The crash of plastic on the floor followed by a groan of discomfort caught Joseph’s attention again.
“Hon?”
Mary’s inability to answer with anything other than a moan was all that spurred him to walk back to the edge. The central pillar was also the main support for the loft, and allowed him to look straight down at her.
“How we feeling hon?” He asked. Even in this cold, he couldn’t help noticing the sheen to her skin. She was sweating? It had to be near zero outside, yet he was damn sure Mary was panting like it was a hundred degrees in the barn.
“Ughhhh… just—just dandy…. Hooooooo…” Mary hummed long and low, arms stretched out in front of her as she pressed her weight against the beam and stuck her ass out behind.
This contraction was taking its sweet time in cresting, tighter and tighter her muscles clenched around the baby in her belly, moving all that weight and pressure downwards towards a singular point. She grunted, right as the wave peaked its worst, leaving her breathless.
When she recovered she let go of the beam and tilted her head towards the rattling roof, the storm whipping snow and wind across the barn. Her husband’s expression was a perfect mix of concern and pride; his bushy eyebrows had furrowed but hips lips were half pulled into a grin.
“Enjoying the view up there?” She jokingly snapped towards Joseph with a playful tone of a couple who’d been married many many years.
“Quite a bit actually.” He retorted, smirking. “I do believe I might’ve spotted a few grey hairs on that pretty head of yours.” Joseph raised an eyebrow, partially squinting as if examining her. “Hmmm, yep I see two new ones.”
The whistling wind outside gave their conversation a consistent background noise. Shifting panels added to it, an arrhythmic clanking of metal. Even now as they spoke to one another, Joseph noticed a small collection of snow gathering near the doors. Oh good, more gaps to fill. His gaze returned to his wife. That sheen was still apparent, and he couldn’t help wondering if those beads of sweat might freeze. After a healthy amount of staring at her face, his eyes drifted to her bump. The fur-lined padded coat was pulled tight over the orb of her belly making it difficult to clearly see its shape, but her stance and facial expressions told him all he needed to know.
“Can I convince you to take a ten minute break? I think we still have those water bottles stored for the concession stand.” A gut feeling said they likely were frozen solid, but it could be worth a shot. If anything she might be able to use them to cool down a little.
“Um…. Yeah okay.” Mary said quietly. She wanted to stay on her feet, keep moving and keep busy, but that last contraction really knocked the wind out of her. All that huffing and puffing was making her mouth awfully dry, and she was becoming aware of just how damp the back of her neck had gotten.
“Can you come down then and help me clean up this food?” Mary nodded towards the pellets now scattered over the concrete floor. “Damn… sorry I wasted so much. I don’t know what happened, one minute I was heading back to the stall and the next my hands were on that beam.”
Mary stayed where she was, one hand still on the beam while the other pressed into the base of her spine, the gentle rocking of her hips was unconscious but necessary. The heaviness seemed to be focused right in the depths of her pelvis and the only relief she could get was by shifting and swaying.
“Yeah yeah, you just want to see my ass as I bend over to get the food.” Creaking accompanied each step as he descended, one particularly loud crossmember gave far too much sway as he moved. With feet firmly planted on the floor, he walked to her. Joseph knew the food was important to clean and pick up, but the focus on his wife was more important. She seemed off still. There was no doubt that Mary was telling the truth of all she knew, but there must be something more.
Joseph took her face in his hands, and planted a kiss upon her forehead.
“Don’t worry about that.” He told her. “Food can be replaced. Besides, I spotted the reindeer eating a can yesterday. Lil dirt from the floor isn’t gonna hurt them.” He supported his wife for a few moments longer before letting her go back to the column. Mary knew when she’d need to sit down, and he had no intentions of trying to force her. Joseph walked to the food storage, searching around for a dustpan. It was a simple tool, an aluminum pan with a wood handled bristle brush. It worked for all messes. Mary was still there when he came back, her sway slow and rhythmic. Her stance seemed wider, and while it was hard to tell with the thick clothing he swore her knees were bent ever so slightly.
Joseph shook the thoughts away, and got to cleaning the spilled food.
With her husband nearby Mary relaxed a little. Then came the next contraction. Before she’d even had a chance to get that bottle of water that had been offered. It was forceful, tight and unrelenting in its wringing of her uterus. She found herself returning to that earlier position; wrapping both hands around the support beam and bending over slightly, letting her bump hang towards the ground while her hips rocked side to side.
“Ohhhhhh…. Hooooo….” The sounds were an automatic response to the sensations ravaging her body. Low, long humming sounds accompanied each strained exhale.
The temperature in the barn was cool, even with the heating on, but despite the winter storm outside Mary was getting warmer by the minute. She felt caged and trapped in her layers of clothes. She wanted to rip off her coat during this latest contraction but daren’t move from her current position as the beam was providing too much support in her stance. “Ohhhh god….” She moaned, eyes scrunching with the peak of the wave that spiked to a level she wasn’t expecting.
Before Mary knew, her husband was right there, hand firmly peddling into her lower back. The pressure eased, but Joseph realized it was because she was lowering herself instinctually. The floor had spots of water below her face, and Joseph quickly put together that she was really sweating now.
“I’m gonna move you a bit honey.” He said, quietly. “Just wanna get your jacket off.” The fabric was stretched tight over her womb, but he managed to unzip it. Heat radiated from within as the last little clip separated and the layers beneath were exposed. Three or four more layers were beneath, but her fur lined winter coat was by far the heaviest.
“Easy does it.” He took her hand off the pillar, sliding out that arm, and replaced it on the pillar. Then, the process was repeated with the other. He was just in time to stop her from losing balance as the next contraction built. Joseph tossed her jacket to the side, and held her hips, assisting the sway. “Breathe through it. I’ll get to work as soon as it passes…” And soon, it did.
When it finished Mary continued to waddle around the barn busying herself during what she assumed to be early labour, unimpeded by the constant worrying of her husband who stayed close by but not too close. Joseph was quick to finish feeding the reindeer, and even went as far as cleaning the fresher messes they’d just made.
Chores went on, but every time a contraction came, Joseph paused, gazing at his wife. Beneath all those layers his body was tensed, ready to run to her at a moments notice. Maybe they could go home, get her laying down in bed. He’d return tomorrow to finish up and check the animals. Just from the sound outside he knew this storm was getting worse, and their trip home became more perilous by the second. That squat and bend she kept doing were getting deeper each time she moaned. And the noises she made grew as exponentially as her positions changed.
“Mary?” He said as he walked back over. “Don’t bite my head off honey but, these are getting real bad real quick.” He tucked his hand beneath a few layers at her neckline and felt the heat of her body. “You sure this isn’t actually further than you thought?”
“Mmmmghh….m’fine…” she mumbled and shook her head dismissively. Mary had ended up at one of the windows, insulation wadding in one hand while the other currently braced the windowsill as her hips rocked back and forth. “Have to keep busy… so much to d-do…”
The windows were old, the surrounding wood slightly cracked in places, which wasn’t a problem during the warmer months but with the rapidly falling snow covering the lower half of the glass there was cool air whipping into the barn. Mary was doing her best to cover any gaps, wedging insulation in any place where air was getting through so as to protect the animals from the freezing temperatures outside.
But the contraction was holding her hostage, keeping her from the task. Instead she squeezed the insulation in her hand and bent towards the window, her breathing rapidly requiring more and more of her focus. She opened her mouth to speak, to reassure her husband everything was fine, but she was struggling to speak through the harsh weight in the bowl of her pelvis.
All that came from her mouth was a low rumbled sound as the contraction reached its crescendo and her knees trembled slightly. Not from the cold. From the sudden fullness in her hips. Which gave way just as promptly as it arrived.
It wasn’t the hum, it wasn’t her movements. The small nuances of his wife’s labor he knew well, but as she’d been working through that contraction there was a sharp inhale. He didn’t hear it, but just looking at Mary’s back he knew. Her shoulders jerked, and her body jolted ever so slightly, like she’d touched a tea pot she hadn’t realized was still too hot to move. Joseph wrapped his arm around her, a hand gripping hers as the other took hold of the underside of her stomach.
Something was off, and he noticed it immediately.
Earlier that day, when the couple had gotten dressed to head to the barn, Mary filled out her winter clothing to the point she’d had to suck in her bump a bit to button them. The momentary discomfort was a necessary issue to stop her freezing to death. Now though, the clothes covering her belly were loose. Not by much, but Joseph’s intimate knowledge of his wife’s curves told him that she was now changed from mere minutes ago.
“It’s ok baby, breathe.” The smallest hint of panic laced his words. Without telling her the reason, he gently moved his hand beneath the long knitted jumper she wore feeling her belly over the thermal maternity leggings. The bump was certainly smaller, and oblong in shape. The rock hard surface wasn’t what stopped him though. He reached lower, and found a damp, warm spot that from the outside was hidden. His heart froze faster than the blizzard outside could ever manage.
“Mary…” He said, wide eyed. “Mary you’re water broke.”
“Hmmm…. Yup…. Hoooo…. I guess this one might be more eager than her siblings to arrive.” Mary said softly now the contraction has passed, shifting her weight off the windowsill and back into her husband’s sturdy embrace.
In truth she felt it the moment it happened, that sudden spike and release of pressure. There was an element of hopeful denial still present until the warmth appeared between her thighs. Now Joseph’s hand was beneath her jumper, initially cradling the lowest part of her bump but then moved south to the apex of her legs, now damp with amniotic fluid.
“We’ve still got loads to sort out in here Joseph…. But I guess you’re not gonna be convinced to let us finish up before we go back to the house are you?” Mary said with an echo of a coy smile. Her head turned back to face him, her back still pressed against his chest as he held her supportively. It was one thing riding out early labour contractions and doing these chores, but with her waters now broken… they should probably start getting ready for baby’s arrival.
“Not a chance in hell darlin.” He said, leaning in to press his lips against hers. “I’m going to go get the truck started. One step at a time, your pace.” Joseph’s soft voice barely surpassed the wind outside, but his words held all the love and affection nearly twenty years of marriage could manage.
They walked, slowly, his arm around her waist to encourage her forward, while the other still gripped her hand. Thankfully they only paused once. A contraction, fierce enough that Mary’s grip transferred some of the pain to her husband.
“Breathe. It’s ok baby, you remember how it goes.” He took a deep breath in, and exhaled. They waited for it to pass, and Joseph mentally clocked how long it had been, and once over, started counting till the next. The side door to the barn was simple, the very same he’d walked in only an hour or two before. He made sure Mary was supported against the wall before trying the door. He pushed, and found it wouldn’t budge. Joseph frowned, putting his shoulder into the door. A fraction of an inch was all he got before it went back as it was.
“Dammit.” He hissed. “Cmon…” Joseph slammed into the door so hard snow came in from the momentary opening. He turned to Mary, apologetically. “I think the snow built up too much. I’ll try the other door.” He left her without another word, aiming to try the other small door. The barn had three in total, two small person sized entries, and the one large sliding door. He wasn’t going to bother with that one, knowing it was padlocked from the outside.
“Hmmmmm…. Ohhhh Joseph please don’t mess with me… I don’t think I can handle one of your jokes right now… uhhhh…” Mary groaned, planting her palms against the wall where her husband had left her and rotating her hips side to side.
How was the next contraction already happening?! It felt like she’d only just had one. Mary closed her eyes, blocking out the sound of Joseph jogging from one door to the other, concentrating on her breathing. In-two-three-four— Out-two-three-four. Without the cushioning of her waters the sensation of their baby’s head grinding into the depths of her pelvis made her stomach churn and odd sounds to escape. She jutted her hips back as she lent forward against the wall, trying to remember how to listen to her body’s cues. It had been years since she last did this, she just hoped her body could make it through and recover easily.
“God I wish I was joking darlin…” He said. The other door opposite where Mary stood was so wigged down with snow that even hitting it as hard as he could with his shoulder wouldn’t move it an inch. The snow by now had to be multiple feet high for that sort of weight to counter him. He knew that it wasn’t truly that much snow on the ground, but the infinite drifts coming along with the high winds. “Shit!” Joseph’s foot planted firmly in the door, one last defiant attempt before hope left him. They were trapped.
Mary’s moans echoed, the sheer volume now on par with the dying wind. At least that was one benefit, he told himself. If the barn got enough snow on it the sound of the wind would be muffled. He returned to his wife’s side, sole focus on her and the baby. He didn’t know what to do, not in this situation. Yes they had kids, but seven years was a long time, and his memory of their youngest birth was only of their drive to the hospital with an eight year old and a two year old in the back seat.
“Breathe baby.” He told her. “We will figure something out. I promise.”
“Uggghh…. What’s…what’s the problem?” Mary tried to keep talking through the contraction but found her words hitching on the gulps of air she was taking. Tight, twisting, aggressive pulses in her womb made her face scrunch and a whimper to ready itself in her throat.
“Why…aren’t…we…leaving…?” She panted. “Ohhhh god-!” The contraction peaked, spiking to a new level, and her knees nearly buckled. Joseph quickly grabbed her hips, pressing up against her body from behind to keep her supported and upright in her forward-lean against the wall. The contraction was too strong, too powerful, after the breaking of her waters and Mary struggled to stay focused on anything except the slow building pressure in her pelvis.
“Well, a minor inconvenience came up honey.” He kept her rocking side to side. Joseph felt her knees trying to bend, and his grip tightened to prevent a potential fall. “So uh, how about we just have her here? You know, in the barn?” A nervous chuckle that had no humor emerged with the statement. “I-I mean it’s warm, we have water, there’s… blankets…”
Mary groaned, a deep sound not related to Joseph’s statement. The contraction had finally let her go and she melted back against her husband.
“D-don’t be ridiculous! I am not having our child in a barn!” Mary snapped, assuming Joseph was just trying to be funny. Her eyes had closed, her hands now off the wall and instead were making large circles around her bump that was full and stretched beneath the knit of her jumper dress. It served no purpose except to provide some level of comfort and possibly to sooth the baby inside.
“Stop joking around and just get me out of here honey.” She said, lifting her head and trying to ready herself for the long walk from the barn to the truck.
“That’s not happening.” Joseph said plainly. “Mary, I need you to stay calm… the snow is too high, and the doors are all blocked. We aren’t getting out of here, not for a while.” As an extra form of comfort for his laboring wife, he lifted the back of her knit sweater, digging beneath layers of fabric till he found bare skin. It was slick with sweat, and while normally he knew she didn’t like his cold hands after being outside, he hoped this time it might soothe her overly warm body.
“Oh! Bloody hell—” Mary gasped in surprise, Joseph’s icicle fingers suddenly on her back. But then she moaned in relief, head tilting back onto his shoulder. “Mmmmh… you’re damn lucky… ooooh.. I’m in labour and overheating. Otherwise I might have slapped you for that.” She almost purred as she relished the cool touch of her husband's hand that pressed into her lower back in just the right place.
After a beat, the information sank in and Mary opened her eyes, turning in Joseph’s hold to face him. Her eyes wide and uncertain.
“So…we’re…. we’re trapped in our barn, snowed in, and I’m in labour with our fourth kid who seems to be in a hurry… is that what you’re saying?” The words felt more akin to a soap opera than the life of a married couple living on a farm.
“If you wanna put a label on it… yes.” He told her, trying to smile. “But we will be alright, like I said, there’s blankets, warmth… kinda, and plenty of space.”
The look in his wife’s eyes told him that slap was still on the table. The turn Mary had made to face him inadvertently lifted her sweater and shirt, ending with his hands on either side of her misshapen womb. His thumbs caressed it, already matching her body’s heat thanks to the back rub.
“We got this hon. I promise.”
Mary pulled her lips into a forced smile, trying to mirror her husband's confidence. “You sound pretty sure…. But I’m not… how can we do this? By ourselves? In a fucking barn!”
The telltale sign of the next incoming contraction was given away when her last words went up an octave and her swollen chest hitched to gulp down oxygen. Her arms moved without thought to loop around Joseph’s neck, her face burying into the thick wool of his coat as a hiss slipped past her teeth. A firm ball of granite now rested in her husband's palm where her soft pliable bump once was - the contraction hitting her full force.
The incredible weight of their daughter pressed down into her pelvis, forcing her knees to part and bend slightly. Mary hung from her husband's sturdy frame, moaning deeply and circling her hips around the growing pressure.
“Ohhhhhhh…. Jos-seph…. Uhhhhh… this h-hurts so much more than—ooooof— I remember…." Mary whimpered slightly, clinging to her best friend and husband for dear life. The pressure may have been astronomical but they both knew it was just the beginning. And the sounds she made in childbirth weren’t entirely foreign, the husky sound of her moans echoing around the snow-covered barn.
“I know hon.” Joseph’s words were soft with encouragement. “If we are stuck here…” He took a deep breath before spoke again, the gravity of his next sentence far too important to just say outright. “I want you to listen to your body. There’s no chance we keep her in till the snow is gone, so don’t hurt yourself. Moan, push, cry, bite, do whatever you must.” The contraction, still gripping his wife, allowed his palm on her skin to actually feel the outline of her womb. Joseph waited for her body to release its hold, all the while running fingers through her sweat matted hair.
“Breathe.” He soothed, letting Mary’s full weight hang on him. “Breathe through it Mary.” His wife knew him well enough to actually hear when he was smiling, an expression he wore now without remorse.
With a squeeze of her fingers on his broad shoulders, the contraction finally let go and Mary sighed with relief. She lifted her head, a smile ghosting across her face to match her husband.
“This, is nuts. And so bloody typical.” The comforting touch of her husband and his confident reassurance was enough to pull the labouring woman from the edge of panic. “I mean every one of our other children took their sweet time. But this one? I can already tell she’s going to be a handful.”
Reluctantly Mary pulled away from Joseph, needing to shift and move a little, a biological drive to keep her body in motion to help and aid in the mammoth task ahead. Her hand went to her lower back, arching back to stretch out the tightness lingering in her spine. The move jutted her bump forwards and her husband was quick to make possessive contact with the evidence of his impending offspring.
“Hey now…. Don’t give me that look, it’s what got us here in the first place.” She playfully scolded. “I think I wanna move around a little, if we’re really stuck here I don’t want to stay in one spot. I already feel a little claustrophobic just knowing there’s too much snow blocking the doors.”
“Actually, my love, I believe it was a bottle of wine and a back massage coupon I’d given you for your birthday.” Joseph retorted, his smile never ceasing. The couple began long, slow circuits around the interior of the barn. There wasn’t much in the way of unique routes, but Joseph steered Mary through the different areas. The bales first, then to the stalls, then over to the sleigh, to the brushing and storage area, to the center pillar, and back again.
Eyes examining her like a hawk, Joseph mentally catalogued her every breath, any and all movements of her body whether they were voluntary or not. On the second circuit, and three more contractions down, Joseph noticed her stance widen. It was marginal, barely an inch or two of difference, but to him it was a sign of things moving.
“She really is an impatient one.” He said, still rubbing Mary’s back. The back of her knit sweater and shirt was lifted, her skin exposed. With the excess body heat she radiated, Joseph could actually see steam coming off her skin.
“Ooooh…. Can you hold and press my hips for this o-one…” Mary asked as she stopped with the first twinges in her womb, a contraction firmly on its way with very little warning anymore. They were on their third circuit and currently by the stalls that housed the horses and reindeer.
With a fast shuffle Mary made a beeline to the nearest stall, its half-door bolted shut, and immediately planted her arms along its top edge. Folding her arms she buried her face in the crook of her elbow while her ass and hips stayed behind, jutting backwards with the strength of the contraction forcing her pelvis open. Her husband’s hands were quick to grip her, not painfully but strong enough to make a difference. She growled, a combination of pain and thankful relief.
With her waters long gone, Mary could feel every centimetre of their child taking up room inside the narrowest point in her body. It forced her pant, the pressure creaking her hips apart, the weight that was getting more and more persuasive with every clench of her uterus.
“Ughhhh….harder….put your full weight against m-me…J-Joseph-!” She managed as the contraction reached a peak she wasn’t ready for.
“Ok! Ok…” Joseph did as she asked. Mary was pressed against him, his grip on her becoming more vice like than before. Thumbs dug into the base of her spine, and in the back of his mind he knew she’d have bruises as a result. That however, was not the concern at the moment. Joseph widened his stance, a foot behind him so that as she pressed against him, they wouldn’t both lose balance. “You’re doing great love.”
The raging storm only grew louder, wind becoming a howl as the direction changed, and caused the roof to shudder. The window that not long before Mary had failed to fully insulate blew open, a torrent of snow coming in with malicious intent. All the heat left the barn before the contraction even ended, and Joseph knew they needed to close it. Mary couldn’t do this alone though, even if she thought she could, he wasn’t going to leave her side till their daughter was here. That only left two options, he makes her walk with him to try and close the window, or they suffer the cold as she labors.
“Nnnghh—what-was-that-?” Mary groaned, hearing the bang of the window flying open.
Joseph told her the wind had blown open a window and she knew they’d have to close it. She already felt the cold air whip around the inside of the barn even with her head buried into her folded forearms. As nice as the cool air was on her sweaty and overheated skin, the freezing temperature wasn’t good for the animals and certainly wouldn't be for a newborn. They had to close it.
But the contraction still held her uterus in a vice, its strong clenching grip bringing low guttural sounds from her chest. So low! The baby felt so damn low!
It may have been many many years since she last went through this, but even Mary knew things were progressing quickly. The pressure alone that was building in her pelvis was undeniable evidence of how close she was getting to giving birth. Her husband knew this too, from the way she moved and her desperate pleas for more counterpressure.
When the contraction ended, Mary took a moment to catch her breath as she had started to pant rather heavily. Slowly lifting her head she released her grip from the stall door.
“We… we need to close that window darling. B-before the wind and snow undoes all our h-hard work.” She went to move, her husband’s arm wrapping around her waist in preparation for the journey across the barn, but immediately faltered.
“Ooooo… oh Joseph… baby feels low…. really low….”
“I know Mary, it’s ok.” His arm held her a little tighter, they couldn't delay getting the window closed. “Focus on breathing, in, and out, just like before.” Whether it was the frigid cold, or her own pain, Mary was shaking in his arms. “Just a few more steps.” Each step was a fight, especially as her weight was placed on him more and more.
Drifts were already building from the open window, and the torrent of snow trying to turn the interior of the barn into a winter wonderland. By the time they’d reached the halfway point from the stall to the window, a walk that took what felt like an hour but in reality couldn’t have been more than a few minutes, melted snow was beneath their feet. Leading up it was collecting, reaching over an inch in some areas despite the short span of exposure.
Mary tensed, just as they were getting within arms reach of the window.
“Mary? What’re you doing?” Joseph asked. Beneath his hand he felt her stomach tense once more, and a sound he hadn’t heard in years came from her. “Mary!”
It happened without planning, or thought, or even self-awareness; Mary stopped and bent over, one arm draped around Joseph’s shoulder while the other braced her thigh, and with bent knees a low primal grunting sound roared from the depths of her chest.
“Nnnnghh—!”
All the air stayed inside her lungs as every muscle in her body clenched down, down, down. The act of pushing began so suddenly without warning, shocking the both of them, but she couldn’t help it. For a brief ten seconds, Mary lost control and nature took over
“Hon!” Joseph couldn’t kneel before her for risk of Mary losing her balance, he was forced to stand. “Baby not now, not yet.” They hadn’t even made a makeshift bed for her.
The moment was gone as fast as it struck and on trembling legs Mary curled into her husband's arms to recover and catch her breath.
“Hoooo…hoooo… oh Joseph…. I’m sorry… I think I just pushed a little bit…? I c-couldn’t stop it…. Oh god… this baby is coming f-fast…..” The quiet sob against her husband’s chest was barely audible over the sound of the wind howling through the open window, but he still heard it. He felt it. The way her back hitched a little with the spike of emotions crashing through his darling wife.
“It’s ok.” It’s not. “It’s gonna be alright.” Doubtful. Joseph’s mind yelled at him at how bad this could be. All three of their previous children had taken so long, in the back of his thoughts Joseph had imagined that despite her water breaking so soon, Mary wouldn’t actually need to do anything till after the storm passed. But this baby really was coming, and they had no way to stop her.
Arms around his wife, Joseph simply held her close as her tears froze. Gently, he turned with her, making his back face the window to take the brunt of the cold.
“I… I have to close the window.” He finally said. Frost had started to form on his wife’s hair, the sweat soaked locks becoming their own misshapen icicles on her head. Even as hot as she was feeling, a gut sensation told him that his wife and their new baby wouldn’t survive if the cold continued. “Step with me.” The command was soft, whispered into her ear with encouragement. “Nice and slow Mary…” The couple made it two steps, and Joseph couldn’t stop the shudder as he was blasted with a particularly gruesome gust of snow laced wind. An arm still supporting her, he turned, slamming the window shut, and grabbing a nearby trowel to wedge between the frame and the window itself.
Mary kept a firm grip on Joseph, as they moved and while he shut the window, not trusting her own legs that were quivering inside her thermal insulated leggings. While he worked to close the breach in their warm sanctuary Mary meanwhile focused on her breathing and tried ever so hard not to think about how her pelvis felt like it was being crushed from the inside.
The immeasurable weight pressing down on her pelvis and cervix was almost nauseating. She could feel the baby moving, restless, probably just as uncomfortable as she was. They both had a tough task ahead of them.
“Oooohhh… oh-it’s-happening-again—Josephhhhh….” Mary whined against her husband’s chest as the next crest of pressure rolled quickly towards her. “I need.. I need to m-m-mooooove—”
Mary started to sink towards the snow-covered floor with the returning urge to bear down. But she was more prepared this time; eyes closed she began to pant instead through the colossal pressure sitting right in the depths of her hips, though her lowering squat wasn’t the most reassuring sign for her husband.
“What?” He stopped her just in time before her squat lowered too far. Snow still littered the ground, and without a doubt if she got down into it, her clothing would be soaked. Hypothermia along with labor was a combo Joseph had zero interest in entertaining. “No you don’t…” Mary needed down, and he struggled to hold all her weight with the awkward grip he had.
“Not here darlin.” Eyes darting, Joseph searched for somewhere she could have support but not be on the floor. The sleigh? No, hard wood combined with a plethora of splinters thanks to a poor sanding. The loft? Plenty of old chairs, but getting her up the ladder was an impossible task. The stalls were too dangerous, the feed area still had snow…
“Walk with me.” He said, though he had little optimism that she could walk. Together, with Joseph keeping most of her weight, the couple moved to the corner of the barn. Despite a rough winter, they still had loads of hay, stacked taller than either of them at its peak. However, many spots were eye level, or even better, at sitting height.
The weight pressing down in her pelvis was relentless, keeping Mary’s legs wide in her ungainly move across the barn. She clung to her husband, huffing and humming through the contraction that kept drawing her instincts to the ground.
“Ohhhh—ohhhhh- Joseph—! I can’t— baby feels too lowwwww…..” Mary’s voice was strained with the effort of trying to stay standing, not to squat down to relieve the monumental pressure forcing its way through her hips.
They barely reached the quiet corner of the barn stacked with cubes of hay when the contraction reached its crescendo. Mary pushed herself out of her husband’s grip in a feral animalistic nature, staggering wide-legged with a hand between her thighs, and she collapsed down onto her knees right in front of a tied up bale of hay. Open, she needed her pelvis low and open. Mary’s arms shook as she flung her chest over the block of hay, keeping her knees wide and ass out behind, belly hanging towards the floor while her hands curled over the far edge of the bale of hay. She let out a low growl as she pulled backwards, feeling that pressure sink deeper into her hips, moving through her pelvis which was slowly opening with her rocking kneeling motion.
“Nnnnghhhh… ohhhhh-god-no…..” she mooed out her words, low and primal, as the contraction peaked.
“Exhale with the pain.” He ordered.
It was time. What delays might have been possible were now moot. Joseph watched in awe as Mary fought to control herself through the growing wave of the contraction. Helpless to do anything else, he knelt beside her, the ball of his hand firmly pressing into her spine. The hay was a solid support for her to lean on, and Joseph quietly was thankful that it was far too cold for snakes to be hiding in between the stacks.
“How you feeling?” The question was idiotic considering the circumstances, but Joseph was at a loss. How could he do more? Maybe if they were home he could have gotten her stripped and comfortable, but out here? Even in the relative warmth of the barn he was afraid that undressing her could be harmful, and while they did have blankets, they weren’t the warmest in existence.
“P-pressure—just-so-much-pressure…” Mary hummed into the bale of hay, the rough straw scratching her cheek as her face almost squashed against it, but she didn’t care. She couldn’t think beyond the weight in the bowl of her pelvis, a deep biological drive to keep her hips circling around it, as if she could drive it away or find a position that removed its urgency. It didn’t matter that she wasn’t contracting anymore, the steady thrum of nature continued to build.
“It’s not—going away— the pressure is just there. C-can you h-hold my h-hips together p-please darling…. Feels like…they’re being p-pulled ap-apart….” Her request was quiet but the desperation in her plea was still loud and clear, and the reason for it was as undeniable as the storm outside; their baby was getting closer.
He didn’t hesitate, rising again to his feet. Before moving to behind her, Joseph leaned in close to her cheek. Hay was in her hair, disheveled and sweating like she’d been working in the field all day, the look reminding him all too well of their first meeting so long ago.
“We are gonna be ok.” He whispered into her ear. “I’m here, aint going anywhere.” Joseph kissed her cheek, and proceeded to take hold of her hips. Working for so long outside, Joseph had that ‘farmer strength’, applying so much pressure that he worried about hurting her. The effort was only reassured when he visibly saw Mary relax. The movement was barely more than a sigh, but he knew her body language so well that the smallest shift told him how she was doing.
“Do you need to push?” He hoped she’d say no, but was damned sure that she was already close to that point. That little grunt earlier already told him she was there, but he needed her to say it, to admit openly that it was time. Denying would only lead to more pain for her. Of that, he was certain.
“Hoooooo…. I don’t…know…. Ah….” Mary whimpered beneath his touch, his hands feeling like they were the only thing holding her together right now.
While her husband kept a steady pressure on each hip, squeezing deliciously together to counter the pressure splitting them apart, she continued to rock on her elbows and knees and Joseph beautifully followed along with her rhythm.
“Oooooh… it’s just never ending… feels like… ohhhhh like a boulder is in there. Feels…fucking huge…. Ohhhh god…. Another one…” Mary spluttered, readjusting her arms along the depth of the hay bale and gripping the rope on the other side. The next contraction squeezed her uterus and she grunted low and long.
“Yes—!! Yes I need to p-p-push—Joseph!!” She panicked, trying to hold on as long as she could. She wasn’t ready to have this baby now, hell the storm was still raging and her clothes were still on. The whimper that came from her mouth signaled how much she was holding back, but her body was twitching in dire need to bear down.
“Mary.” His voice was level. In the past, his wife was always the more level headed, the solidity of the family. Now, she was panicked, frantic even. Joseph had to keep her calm, and guide her. “Mary, you need to push.” A hand left her hip, reaching beneath her clothes to rub at her lower back. “When it comes, you don’t hold back. Bring our baby girl to us.”
As she contemplated his words, Joseph subtly altered her stance. His foot cemented between her legs, gently nudging her knees a bit further apart. His hand also pressed against her, forcing her to lower her hips ever so slightly. He recalled exactly how she’d delivered their other children, the positions she was in. This one was the one she’d seemed to like most. He felt her shaking, and leaned in.
“Push…”
It was as if her body reacted to his words, his instruction. Immediately everything sank south and she was bearing down without intent. Her mouth dropped open, a low rumbling sound of effort spilling from the depths of her chest as she pushed, her cheek now fully planted against the block of hay.
“Nnnnghhhhh-!!!” Mary grunted, a combination of blissful relief of actually pushing mixed with the undeniable pressure from the baby dropping lower. She gasped, sucking a mouthful of air before going again. Her thighs shook but she focused all her efforts into one singular act. Bearing down.
Joseph hummed with encouragement. “Good girl, that’s it. Another big push for me darlin’.”
Mary groaned, a primal lowing sound of effort as she pushed. The baby was shifting, she could feel her pelvis splitting open around the descending child, that pressure reaching and breaching her cervix. “Ohhhhhh…ughhhhh… oh fuck….” Mary groaned after a few more seconds of pushing, then slumping over the bale of hay she began panting to catch her breath back.
“Oh Joseph…. I dunno… if it’s just been too long since I last did this, but… she feels massive. I barely moved her.”
“It’s just cause it’s been so long baby.” He reassured her, keeping a hand on her back. "She's just as big as the others accordin’ to the doc.” There was something wrong with this, but he couldn’t put his finger on it. Somehow, this birth was different, aside from the blatant obviousness of her wanting out fast and choosing a barn of all places to be born. “Remember with the others? Our eldest? As soon as he was born you literally told me ‘that wasn’t so bad.’ You’ll make it through, and we will be laughing about this tomorrow.”
There weren’t many other ways for her to open up, not from what Joseph could think of. His wife was low, her knees spread, back arched. This was all down to her.
“Do you need to change positions? I can rearrange the bales of hay.” He was just throwing ideas, and if he was honest there was zero expectation of a clear answer considering the pain coursing through Mary’s body.
She shifted her body, a gentle rocking motion forward and back, side to side, reflecting on how she felt and what would be best. Eventually Mary shook her head.
“No. Wanna stay h-here….” Her words caught a little on the steady weight filling her pelvis more and more each second. Joseph was right - the doctor had said this baby was no different to their others in terms of size. It must just be her older years making this seem harder, but the baby felt bigger, more irrefutable somehow now she’d dropped.
“Could you…help me relax a bit? Like we did for our second and third?” Mary asked before the next contraction could steal her request. For those births they were a bit more familiar with the process and doing home births each time allowed them to try more intimate ways of relaxing into labour and helping her to open up. Something instinctive told Mary she would need all the help she could get for this one.
“Of course darlin’.”
Three previous kids, the first a panic of new experiences, the other two far more quiet and controlled. Joseph knew what his wife was asking, and let his hands do the work. Her curves became a canvas, and his fingers the brush he’d use to paint a calming sensation. He began, with lifting her sweater. Her exposed belly glistened with the sweat of exertion, and he took his time letting his fingers caress the stretched tight flesh he found there.
“Relax baby.” He hummed. “I’ve got you.”
He kept rubbing her stomach, leaning in to press a kiss to her shoulder. Whispers kept coming, but his hand, it moved down. Joseph found her insulated leggings, and slipped beneath. Her undergarments remained wet thanks to her waters breaking, and the cold making it nigh on impossible for them to dry. Joseph started to make little circles between the fabric, all the while keeping his face close to hers.
Mary’s whole body quivered under his touch. A shudder felt through her soul.
“Good girl.” He cooed into her ear.
“S-S-Sensitive— ohhhh…” she gasped, Joseph’s ministrations making gentle circles right where she needed. Active labour had transformed every cell in her body into a beacon of sensitivity; the cold on her exposed skin, the heat of her flesh beneath the layers of clothes, the light breath of Joseph’s whispers on her cheek - every sensation was an overwhelming symphony.
Moving her hips counterclockwise against her husband’s strokes, Mary rocked a little and focused her mind on only the good. Her body was doing something incredible, ancient and inspiring. With the help and support from her best friend, lover, father of her children, she was changing her mindset from seeing pain to productivity.
“Oooohh… con-contraction’s—comin’—” she hummed. Lowering her head back down on the hay bale, she sunk her pelvis backwards against his hand, chasing that friction and pressure and slowly but surely she found herself pushing down to meet it. Grunting beautifully into the crook of her elbow.
“That’s it…” He said, a smile on his lips. “You’re doing great.”
The stimulation continued, with Joseph’s movements only increasing in pressure and speed when Mary’s contraction started to grow. Whispers of encouragement came, and he took the time to apply counter pressure to her spine. As she labored, he studied her. When he was moving too slow, her hips increased in their pace. Too fast, and it was as if she was trying to match him in pace to ease the stimulation. He was a patient man though, and worked to find the sweet spot, no matter how long it took.
“Talk to me.” Joseph said. “You think the kids will be excited to see their sister wanted to spend Christmas with them?”
“H-hopefully— unnnghhh— though our y-youngest is annoyed she’s not g-gonna be the youngest anymore—oooohhhhh…!”
With a sharp inhale, Mary stretched her arms over the bale and pushed hard with the current contraction. Teeth bared and her breath visible in the cold temperature of the barn, she focused all her energy downwards on that gigantic boulder between her hips. The sound from her chest was low and gravelled and thick with animalistic focus. But once it was over she whimpered with frustration.
“Can you f-feel anything-?” Her words caught on desperation. “It doesn’t feel like anything is ha-happening… she’s still wedged there in my pelvis. It doesn’t feel like I’m doing anything.”
Mary rolled her hips around while her elbows took most of her weight, her bump hanging parallel to the edge of the hay bale. “Ohhhh the pressure is driving me n-nuts— but when I push— it doesn’t go away.” Her eyes began to well a little in frustration, all her labouring and working to bring the baby down seeming to slow and almost stop. Right at the most intense and crucial stage.
Joseph’s hand stopped its motions, his focus turning to figuring out whether or not the baby was making progress. Palm flat, he slid deeper into her pants, a frown creasing his features. All this time, all that effort, and he couldn’t even feel the smallest bump from the baby coming out. This wasn’t right, was it? Pushing should have at the very least made them able to feel the head starting to poke out.
“She’s not there babe.” He said, withdrawing from her leggings. Joseph rubbed her stomach for some added comfort as he tried to think. Suddenly, an idea came. “Here, up we go darlin…”
Husband and wife, working together despite him not telling her what he was doing, rose up. There was no way she would be able to stand, not with the levels of exhaustion he knew she felt. Joseph sat on the hay bale, keeping a steady grip on his wife, and slowly he guided her forward towards him. Her advanced labor meant her legs were naturally wide enough for his knees to slip between, and slowly he helped her sit on his lap. Mary groaned against his neck as she sank into a squat, her legs wide and hooked over each of his thighs, her pelvis low between his knees. She had no need to support her own weight or balance, her husband did that for her by wrapping his arms behind her lower back and letting her sling her arms over each of his shoulders.
“This should help.” He whispered in her ear. “Try pushing when the contraction comes…” Joseph had every intention of helping her with some more, distractions, but wasn’t going to start till she truly needed it and it would be more effective.
Mary hummed, the change in position already making a difference. She felt wider, more open, the baby felt even lower and heavier than ever before. She moved her arm a little, looping one around her husband's neck and inhaling the comforting smell of his cologne.
“Mmmmmh… better…. ooooohhhhhh…. She feels incredibly low darling.” She moaned against his chest, hips twitching a little unconsciously around the weight of their baby.
When the next contraction arrived it struck with a laser focus Mary barely had time to inhale before her body demanded she push. Her thighs squeezed around her husband's legs as she bore down, her ass dropping low between his knees trying to open her pelvis even more. The growl of effort was muffled against Joseph’s thick winter coat, but her body trembled with the effort. One almighty push… two almighty pushes. By the third, she felt it.
Progress was minuscule but to Mary, every millimetre was a sign of progress and gave her hope.
“Good job darlin’.” Joseph’s voice remained a whisper. Her lower back and midriff remained exposed, and the focus of his hands. Calloused hands rubbed against her bare, sweat slick skin. Wide circles, working in conjunction with one another as he applied more pressure to the base of her spine on each pass. Every hitch in her breathing was felt against his own chest.
Contractions were coming faster and harder, without a proper timer it was difficult to tell, but Joseph had a gut feeling that this contraction currently making his wife dig her nails into him was only a minute or two after the last. The previous distraction had worked wonders, though was unfeasable in their current position. So, Joseph decided to try a different approach. His left hand no longer made circles on her spine, instead gliding along glistening flesh to where her knit sweater was hiked up.
Mary instantly made a whining sound when his hand left her lower back. “Mmmhh… no…. why… taken… hand away…?”
“I’ve got you love…”
The oven that was the space between her sweater and skin was a far cry from the cold in the barn. Joseph found what he was looking for, the maternity bra held her breast in check after they’d swelled with milk in recent months. Of course, he had no complaints about it, and knew all too well how sensitive they were from their more intimate moments during the last trimester. Following the band around, he found the clasp holding it in place, and with a flick of the wrist, her bra was undone. He shifted again, finding the front and tugged, already knowing that a reaction was imminent. Her breasts were loose, and free to use as he felt necessary to ease her discomfort. And it all started, with his palm cupping, and giving a gentle squeeze.
“Ohhh god!” Mary’s head went back and she gasped. Her skin, her body, every cell was already hyper sensitive while in the deep throes of labour. The friction of her thick padded maternity bra being dragged over her nipples was enough to make her shudder, but then he squeezed.
The moan that left her lips was not of pain but bountiful pleasure, her husband knowing exactly what he was doing right now. His index finger and thumb made gentle but focused work on her left breast, milk escaping from the ducts onto his calloused fingertips. The stimulation had another desired effect with the quick appearance of a strong contraction.
Mary hummed, low and deep, her hands gripping his shoulders as she lifted slightly on his lap before sinking down between his knees with another guttural push.
“Nnnnnghhh—ohhhhh— she’s— she’s right—there—ohhhhhh Joseph— I can feel the h-head coming—ugggghhh!!”
“That’s my girl.” He kept his voice calm, squeezing a bit harder. “Keep on pushing, she’s gonna be here before you know it.” His forehead pressed against hers, their eyes shut as he listened to her breathing, the deep vibration in her throat as the primal need to give in took over. “Breathe…” As he gave the command, his palm offered her chest another gentle squeeze. The warmth of her milk poured over the gaps between his fingers. At least their daughter wouldn’t be hungry when she came.
Mary gulped down air, trying to gather her strength between contractions, to follow her husband’s guidance. Joseph was familiar with the sight of his labouring wife, recognised every subtle move or reaction, knowing when a contraction was coming or when the urge to push was too great. When Mary sighed with relief he told her to breathe, when her body stiffened on his lap - when her back became rigid and tense - he guided her through each push.
“Ugggghh… she feels so… big!” Mary groaned after a huge forceful push that didn’t grant the progress she wanted. The weight of their child was low, imminent, pressing against the exit of her body. The familial stretching sensation began to burn beneath her underwear but she had no idea if she was even close to crowning. “C-can you check— me—please— mmmmmghh…..”
“Course.” Joseph’s grip on her breast disappeared, the need for counter pressure on her back far more important than the distraction from the pain. “Try to rise, just a little.”
Mary, with Joseph’s help, managed to rise up by just a few inches. That was all he needed. Just as before, his fingers found the elastic band of her leggings and slipped in. Her panties remained soaked, and a nagging feeling told him that there was something else they should have already done, but, he was drawing a blank. Oh well, must not be that important. Joseph dug beneath her panties, finding Mary’s opening. Her skin was already pulled taut, and yet, her lips only seemed to barely be opened. He couldn’t even feel the head, just soft flesh surrounded by tight skin.
“You’re openin’ darlin, but I don’t feel the baby.”
Mary’s head lowered against Joseph’s shoulder and she huffed with frustrated disappointment. “Oooooh— how— that’s not right— there’s so much fucking pressure!”
She was sure the baby was close, it felt damn well close with the weight pressing down and stinging her sensitive lower lips. Mary’s pelvis felt like it was being cracked open, the birth canal absolutely full with their fourth child. But Joseph couldn’t feel the baby… either something was wrong or her age was having more of an impact than they’d imagined.
With her husband’s hand still beneath her layers of clothes, gently circling and cupping her crotch, Mary gave another push. Forceful and intentional, focusing all her efforts on bringing their baby down. Bearing down she was rewarded only with more pain, a spike in the white hot burning at the apex of her thighs. She jolted abruptly, ceasing her pushing, and whimpered like a wounded animal.
“No…. Ohhhh… Joseph… it’s not right… something’s there… I’m sure of it!!” Mary croaked, her body twitching instinctively as if she could simply escape the spike in pressure and pain that was blinding her senses.
Joseph’s frown wasn’t of frustration but of confusion. The others were blatantly obvious when they began to emerge from between her quaking thighs. Without a protest, he checked her again, this time shutting his eyes as he let his hand build a picture. She was open, the stretched flesh of her lips surrounding the softness that he still hadn’t placed. It couldn’t be the baby though, their heads were more firm. This was more like…
Joseph’s eyes opened, and there was a panic in them that surpassed all that came before.
“Mary…” He said, toughening his tone to keep the rising fear out. “Mary I don’t think that’s the head coming.” Joseph had to search for the word, so long since he’d read any of the books, this was baby four! Surely nothing would have been different. How wrong they were. “She’s comin’ out backwards hon, she’s breech.”
“Wh—What?! No!!!! She can’t be—nnnnnggghhhhhh!” Mary’s disbelief transformed into a low grunting sound of effort as her body forced her push once again.
As she pushed against the giant irrefutable boulder in her pelvis, feeling its heaviness against her sensitive opening, bulging her body with its size, the penny finally dropped. That was why this was so difficult, why she was struggling to make progress. It wasn’t her age; their poor little girl was the wrong way up - she was coming out bum-first.
“Oooohhh Joseph…. She can’t…. She can’t come out like this…. Something’s gonna go wrong… she’s going to get h-hurt… We need doctors… we need help….” Mary sobbed after the involuntary push. Her mind running a thousand miles a minute. A breech birth was so much more dangerous, and with Mary’s older years technically making this a ‘geriatric pregnancy’, it was even more risky. This was bad. This was so terribly bad. “What… what do we do—? Ohhhh god she’s right there! Nnnnnnghhh!!!”
“Wait wait!” Joseph’s pleas fell of deaf ears. She needed to stop pushing right? At first it seemed like the birth could be simple, if a bit unorthodox. The baby being breech changed everything. Maybe it was worth trying to get her out to the truck again, to risk the drive to the hospital. Could they make it? Fat fuckin chance. Joseph’s thoughts ended with their daughters minute progress into his palm, stretching his wife impossibly wider. Between the child and Mary’s leggings, his hand was squeezed into place.
“Baby you can’t keep pushing, we, shit, is there anything we can do? I-I don’t think turning her around is an option.”
“No it certainly is—nnnnnghhhh!— not an option Joseph! She’s not a car— oooooh— she can’t reverse, turn around and come back again!” Mary snapped through gritted teeth, pushing automatically midway through her sentence. Her body was working to deliver this child whether they were ready or not, prepared or not, head-first or not. This baby was coming and she was coming now.
The position of the baby made everything feel….more. More intense, more overwhelming, more painful, more burning. And yet Mary was entirely stuck in this position - straddling her husband with her ankles hooked around his calves, her backside hanging between his spread knees. Though the way it opened her pelvis so wide might be the only reason she was making any sort of progress right now.
“If…. If she’s breech… is she… butt-first? Is that what’s coming out? You can’t feel a foot or anything can you?” Mary tried to think, to clear her mind. What did they need to do, how could they make sure their daughter arrived as safe as possible while trapped in this fucking barn.
“Just her butt, no feet or anything.” His hand shifted, moving around the edge of her opening to see if there was anything different. All he could find was what he believed to be the baby’s hip, a little bone hidden beneath some baby fat. “She’s moving down though, there’s progress but it’s damn slow.” Not that she needed to be told that, the snippy comment was evidence enough of how overwhelming the situation was. “I don’t know what to do Mary.” He met his wife’s eyes, and any chance he had of hiding the newfound fear was gone. “Do I need to try and get you to the truck again?”
Mary shook her head, blowing a slow exhale through her pursed lips. “We’ll… never make it…. Plus… the doors are j-jammed shut, remember?”
Between contractions Mary hummed, holding tight to her husband's shoulders as she gently circled her hips. The indescribable pressure sitting at the apex of her thighs was overbearing, their baby so close and yet so far. It felt like an impossible task, to deliver something that felt so huge. It was frightening and daunting and she couldn’t help but doubt if they would even survive this. But she couldn’t let that fear take hold. They had to do this. They just had to.
“H-Help me… stretch and… relax…. She’s gotta come out Joseph, and soon…. Ooooohh-ugh— contractions-coming—”
Of course, he should have remembered that the doors weren’t able to open. Calm, he couldn’t help her stay calm unless he was calm. Joseph’s best option was to keep his hand in her leggings to help her relax. He leaned back so they could see one another, and despite the fear in his eyes, all he spoke was encouragement and love.
“We’ll make it.” He told her, all the while his middle and index finger began to trace around her lips, gently, slowly. Mary was supporting herself enough with her arms around his neck, so he went back to her chest, never breaking eye contact. “Relax darlin’, and just breathe.” Joseph cupped her breast, lifting her knit sweater so they too were exposed to the cold. “Focus on me, and soon we’ll have baby girl in our arms.”
The breath that left her lungs was audible and shaky. Mary closed her eyes, rocking gently, trying to focus on her husband’s ministrations. Trying desperately to shut down the fear and worries that stuck in her mind like molasses. “Mmmmh…. I… I hope so…..” she whispered.
As the contraction ramped up her hands locked over Joseph’s shoulders, nails digging into the thick layers of his clothes. “Oooohhh… n-need… to-push…..” she warned with a husky groan, inhaling deeply before bearing down.
Her muscles clamped down, her swollen belly lifting and shrinking around her womb. All her efforts were focused on that singular point, on the immense mass trying to make it through her narrow body. Joseph’s hands were soft and gentle, slick with amniotic fluid, helping her to relax and open for their child. To increase the oxytocin in her body, his other hand gently thumbed one of her large nipples. Circling and rolling it between his thumb and index and squeezing ever so delicately. The response was instant, her grunting pushes mixed with a throaty pleasurable moan.
“That’s it darlin’.” He said, his voice soft as his touch. “Push. You worry about that, and I’ll take care of the rest.” He could tell from how her stomach altered in shape when the contraction reached its peak. At that moment, he pinched down on her areola, feeling milk drip along his fingertips. As he did that, a coordinated effort began in her leggings. He opened his hand, practically matching the shape of her opening with his thumb and index. Joseph pressed against her, feeling the baby make progress past his palm. “Good girl, keep pushing.”
She mewled, almost a whimpering sound of her efforts and arousal. His hands on her skin, holding her, guiding her, made her feel comforted and safe. Even after all these years, the arguments and celebrations and children, this was where she felt safest - in his arms.
Mary’s teeth bared, her eyes scrunched, pushing down with everything that she had. Sweat was gathering on her temple, running down the sides of her cheeks even with the freezing storm raging around the barn. Her body was a furnace, each cell alive and sensitive and tingling. The progress made between her legs was noticeable, both to her and to Joseph. More of the baby slipped forward, stretching her wider than she ever thought was possible, their baby’s backside filling her husband’s palm as she bore down.
“Nnnnnghhh… she’s… she’s coming…. Uggghhhh… oh god!” She panted, gasping for air as she released the push, contraction fading. The baby stayed, heavy and ever-present, bulging into her husband’s hand.
“She is.” Joseph confirmed. Albeit, probably not moving as fast as Mary would have liked. All things told, just by what little he felt in the confines of her clothing, he’d say she made about a centimeter or two of progress. Which, while not a lot, is made leagues better by the fact that the baby remained. She didn’t slip back in like when Mary had fought their eldests head. “Slowly but surely.”
A fraction of a second before he thought to take her hand, Joseph paused. He knew how intimate and empowering it could be for her to feel her own progress, to feel that little body trying to emerge. But, he refrained. If his wife believed more progress was being made, the last thing he wished to do was discourage her with the truth. This baby was low, and moving slow. Instead, he continued his massage, not trying to overstimulate, but release the hormones within her body to get her to relax into the next contraction. This baby would only get wider as she reached where the legs were tucked.
Mary trembled, held in limbo, as she waited for the next contraction. Every breath was unsteady, every beat of her heart was pounding. “I… I just want her…ouuuut Joseph….” Her words barely even a whisper, struggling with the fullness stretching her body wide open. When she was pushing it felt productive, like she was working towards a goal, but in between contractions all she felt was pain.
Somehow he knew what to do, to keep her from the precipice of panicking. Soft words of encouragement combined with more stimulation of her nipples, no doubt in the hopes it would bring on the next contraction quicker. She rocked and whimpered, straddling his lap, panting through the gap between the waves. And then it was back, the primal clenching of her muscles, and she was bearing down once again. This time her efforts were joined with a roar of desperation as she tried so hard to bring their breech baby into the world.
The baby was already moving before Mary’s primal roar filled the barn.
“Good! Push darlin’, keep pushing!”
Their daughter was fighting to get out, his hand filling with her rear. Joseph’s hand went back to pressing her lips, offering that sweet counterpressure that he knew would help. Another few centimeters, and Joseph’s thumb found something.
“I…” He shifted his thumb, finding five little bumps. “Honey, I can feel one of her feet.” That had to mean she was close, right? A smile split his face, even as Mary came down from the pain of the last contraction. “You’re making progress.”
“It… it doesn’t feel like it…” She sobbed, trying to catch her breath back. The baby felt lodged, trapped, splitting her body in half. All the labouring and pushing and the baby was still wedged in her pelvis, feeling like she was being torn open. Mary could hardly bear it. “I-I don’t think I can do this… J-Joseph it’s too much… h-hurts….”
Mary slumped her head forward, hanging between her arms that were locked and gripped over her husband’s shoulders. Tears mixed with sweat that ran down her cheeks. She couldn’t get their daughter out, she was stuck and Mary would be forever tormented with the agonising pressure between her legs. Unable to think clearly Mary cried with desperation and frustration.
“Shhshhshh…” Joseph quieted his voice, not letting his hand leave their baby. “Mary, you can do this.” It wasn’t like she had another choice in the matter. “Listen to me,” he began. “I want you to just relax in the next contraction, it’s going to hurt, but honey you need your strength for bigger pushes. When I say, I want you to push, but until then try to recover.” He leaned in, pressing his forehead to hers. “I love you, and I’m here. Let’s have our girl.”
Their foreheads rested together, Mary clinging on to any semblance of hope. “O-okay…. Okay….” Her words hitched on a sob.
The next contraction soon reared its ugly head, tightening and squeezing Mary’s womb in a vice. “Ooohhh….ohhhhhh Joseph….” She began to rock and groan, the pressure building like a raging storm. “Mmnnghhh…. Wanna pppppush….”
She clawed at Joseph’s shoulders, trying to withstand her body’s demands to bear down, instead panting heavily to reserve her strength. But it wasn’t working, the force of the contraction too powerful to stop the little grunting pushes that were happening without permission.
“No you don’t Mary.” He spoke and simultaneously stimulated her nipple. “You look at me, look.” Joseph waited till her tear filled eyes met his. “Good girl. Focus on me, isolate the feelings.” Her most sensitive parts were the victim of his fingers. “Feel that? You don’t need to push, you are having your body recharge while you rest.” His eyes flicked down, spotting the outline her stomach made of her womb, just as quickly they rose to meet hers again. “This is just us, that same intimacy we’ve had for the past twenty years…” Joseph smiled at her, lifting his chin to kiss her forehead. It tasted of salt, the abundance of sweat coating her and adding to the smell of bodily fluids. “Have I ever let you down?” The smile turned mischievous. “And don’t you dare bring up the bathroom remodel, that wasn’t my fault.”
“W— we couldn’t— get the tub— through the bathroom—door….” Mary laughed through heavy breathing, trembling head to toe.
The contraction was strong, but her husband’s fingers were more persuasive. Beneath her leggings he gently circled her stretched skin around the partly emerged babe before his thumb settled perfectly on her clit. Meanwhile his other hand kneaded and pinched her breasts, sending shivers down her spine with a combination of arousal and the relief of expressing some more milk from their too-full shape.
The actions from her still-devilishly-handsome husband were the only thing keeping her from falling apart under the agonising pressure and desperate need for their baby to be born. After what felt like a lifetime, the contraction fully let go and it was easier to focus only on the pleasurable sensations.
“Hmph, well maybe you should have listened when I said it was too big.” He said, grinning. The relief on his wife’s face told him all he needed to know. Fingers continued their work, even as he spotted the trail of milk flowing down her bump. “You remember the night we conceived?” He asked her, keeping the stimulation going. His thumb pressed a little harder into her clit, he knew they didn’t have long before the next contraction came. “We traced it back to that date night? Kids at your parents, we worked on the barn before going to the movies… the massage?”
“Hmmm… yes…. It was the first night alone we’d had in… years.” Mary hummed. Her chest hitched a little at Joseph’s increase in pressure between her legs, desire coiling beneath the surface, her body instinctively reacting to his actions. “If I remember rightly…. Hmmmm—oooooohhhhh— that was the night I said we could try for a— a— fourth baby.”
The next contraction was looming on the horizon, she could feel it simmering, but as Joseph kept circling her clit and gently squeezing her nipples she was getting overwhelmed for entirely different reasons now. Mary’s jaw dropped, gasping for air as everything tightened and trembled.
“And there I was darlin…” Joseph whispered, their intimate moment backdropped by the ever present storm outside. “I thought it was just the wine talking, but then you showed me that test a few weeks later.” The memory was among his fondest, the happiness of seeing his wife so excited, and seeing the kids' reactions to realizing there was another sibling coming. “I think the only time a smile left your face was when they said they hoped it was twins.” He chuckled, letting his tracing increase in speed. “Remember what you said to them after that?”
“Ha….y-yes…. I—Oooohhhh—unnnnghhh—” the contraction slammed into Mary, the balance between pain and pleasure catapulted firmly in the wrong direction. “Oh fuck— mmmmgh— I’ve gotta pushhhh Joseph—”
Her whole body froze and tensed with the forceful contraction, nearly undoing all the work they’d just done to keep her relaxed. The muscles clamped and squeezed, forcing everything downwards, and Mary groaned as her hips dropped down further between Joseph’s wide knees.
“Easy baby, easy.” He kept working, and despite knowing she wasn’t pushing, he felt their daughter make a little progress. “Breathe, holding your breaths is a bad idea, just breathe.” The next contraction, that’s when she should give it all. Joseph could tell that she was exhausted, fuck she’d said as much to him earlier, but if she could hold out for just this one contraction he was sure that on the next, a lot more progress would come. “You’re doing beautifully, almost through it, keep going…”
“Oooohhhh… I can’t…. Ahhhh fuck…. I wanna ppppush… I need to pushhh….” Mary groaned. Gripping and clawing her nails in her husband's coat, she frantically panted, ragged and heavy. She could feel Joseph’s fingers beneath her clothes, pressing his thumb against her clit and holding her lips open around the half-born baby. But it wasn’t enough. Not even his caressing of her breasts could take the edge off this contraction. It was relentless and angry, forceful as a tornado, and Mary tilted her head to the ceiling taking a deep breath and preparing to give a guttural push.
But then Joseph’s lips were on hers, his stubble deliciously course against her skin as he kissed her so deeply and passionately it took her breath away. A last ditch attempt to distract the labouring woman from the overwhelming pain and desperate need to push. And it worked. His tongue met and danced with hers in a familiar passionate pattern. It was nostalgic and comforting but also magical and still incredibly hot. Distracted from her intended push, Mary hummed with pained enjoyment into her husband's mouth. The baby made progress, slow but steady, her body stretched to its limits but thankfully not tearing. Eventually more and more of their child began slipping into his palm.
Their kiss remained his focus until the baby stopped advancing. Without a visual he couldn’t tell for certain, but he was guessing that at least a third of the baby’s body was already out. The rest would need Mary to help.
“Good girl.” Joseph said as they parted. The contraction was done, and he couldn’t help enjoying the flushed cheeks Mary had at the moment. She was always so cute when she got flustered. “Now, the next contraction, I want you to push for me. Everything, all that you got. And don’t stop till you can’t take no more.”
The next few moments seemed to last a lifetime, waiting for the next contraction, and whatever would happen after that. As desperate as she was to end this torment, the worries of delivering a breech baby simmered in the recess of her brain. They stayed in their positions, not daring to move, waiting. Just waiting.
The first sign of the next contraction happened in the form of a whimper and Mary’s legs twitching slightly, her thighs still wide and hooked over Joseph’s. “Mmmm… s’coming…” Her eyes scrunched, grimacing as the first echoes of pain returned.
He didn’t need to be told, all the telltale signs screamed to him now. He nodded to his wife, leaning in close so that all she could hear was his voice. Not the storm, not the animals, not even the fabric of her leggings stretching at the seams, only him.
“Let it build.” He told her, his fingers still doing their individual jobs. “You’ve done this three times already, delivering perfect babies. Now it's time to even out with baby four.” He could feel their daughter slipping out ever so slightly, and as she did, he kept speaking. “Ok, ok… now push.”
Silently acknowledging his words, Mary nodded and took a deep breath before bearing down. Hard. Her teeth were bared, her nails sank into her husband’s shoulders, and she was oddly silent. All that she was, everything she had to give, gathered into this moment with pure maternal fiery strength. No sound came from the labouring woman except for gasping gulps of air between pushes, every last ounce of energy was focused on this impossible task. As she concentrated on pushing the pain began to fade into background noise - the only thing that mattered was the progress being made, on the feeling of their daughter moving through her exhausted body. Millimetre by millimetre… inch by inch… the baby squeezed further and further out. Later, she would recall just how horrific this was, how utterly wide and stretched to breaking point she felt. But now, in this moment, she just wanted to meet her daughter and for their baby to be safe and healthy.
Over and over, Mary strained and pushed and almost growled with her efforts. Using every last bit of the contraction while she could. And then suddenly, everything changed. A loud, strangled gasp from Mary, echoing round the barn.
It happened so fast. One moment Joseph was propping up their daughters bum within Mary’s leggings, feeling only newborn skin in some alien shape that his imagination couldn’t form a picture of. Then suddenly, a gush of fluid, and the baby unfurled from her folded pose. Legs became free, pressing against her pants for but a moment before retracting into that newborn scrunch that all their children had for their first months of life. He felt hands, two perfect little hands with ten tiny fingers. She was too much for him to hold with only a single palm, so instead he was left with letting their baby cradle in Mary’s leggings.
“The body’s out!” He exclaimed, kissing Mary on the lips in this moment of joy. Remembering the complications of their second born, he tucked his fingers in between the baby’s neck and the edge of her opening. Nothing, no cord wrapped around it. Mary and the baby were clear, well, as clear as they can with one dangling out of the other.
She couldn’t stop the tears of relief, slumping forwards with exhaustion and sobbing against Joseph’s chest. All the pain, the white hot burning, the stretching…. gone in an instant. Mary felt numb, like she was in a dream. But then something brushed against her inner thighs, not her husband’s hand but something new…soft…perfect.
Slowly she lifted her tear-stained face. “She’s…. She’s out…? Is she okay?” Her quiet voice croaked.
“Not out. She’s ok though from what I can tell.” Joseph said. His hand had left her breast, the excess milk wiped onto his pants before he cupped her cheek. “But the body is out, all the way to her neck. All that’s left is her head, and we will have our baby girl here.” He let his thumb brush against her tears. “You are doing great, just relax for a little before the next one comes…” He paused, still feeling the baby lying in her leggings. “Do you want to feel her?”
She nodded, speaking was something she wasn’t fully sure on right now. Mary tried to move but found her body was locked in position, her fingers like a vice on Joseph’s shoulders. And she was trembling. In shock, Mary was scared to let go of her husband, worried she’d fall. She was still straddling his lap while he sat on a hay bale, her backside hanging between his knees. His hands were busy between her thighs, pulling the elastic of her waistband and cradling their partially born daughter inside the stretched fabric.
Feeling her hesitation, he freed one hand to help Mary to feel their baby. He guided her quivering hand, past her waistband and to the gusset of her leggings where there was—
“Our baby girl…. Oh my gosh…” more tears rolled down her cheeks as she made contact with their fourth child for the first time. Her skin was slippery with fluids but so soft. She had delivered their three precious children and each time felt their heads once born, but this was another experience entirely. Their daughter's torso was scrunched in the damp fabric of her leggings, but her little hands and feet were moving, as if they were pressing out against new surroundings. “Whoa… this is… this is nuts.” She couldn’t help the exhausted and shocked laugh that came out her mouth. Feeling their daughter’s body, already moving and strong, reassured Mary enough for exhaustion and delirium to prompt the nervous giggle.
“Master of understatement honey.” Joseph said, joining in her laugh. His hand joined hers beneath her still swollen stomach, fingers interlacing. “Baby girl is so close, just a little more and it’ll all be over.” The moment felt like an eternity of magic. A thought occurred, one that he couldn’t stop thinking of. “Your leggings might be a lil ruined after this Mary.” He said. “Don’t think we are gonna be able to get you out of them just yet…”.”
“Hmmm?” She was distracted, her fingers touching and tracing every inch of their daughter. “Oh… I hadn’t even… why the fuck am I still wearing these?” In the whirlwind of events - the storm, the snow blocking the doors, the unexpected advancement of labour - the thought hadn’t occurred to either of them to remove Mary’s lower-half clothing. She laughed, but the sound soon turned into a hiss of pain.
“Ooooh…. contraction—!” Mary gasped, whipping her hand out of her leggings to brace herself against Joseph’s shoulders once again. As the tightness increased and the pressure against her labia returned, she soberingly remembered - she still had to deliver the head. Surely it would be easier after what she’d just done. “Unnnngh…. Oooooohh… it’s coming… ohhh shit….” She whimpered, breathing heavily, almost panting.
Joseph's smile remained. Seeing his wife in good humor despite the circumstances was far more than he could ever have dreamed in the current situation. Their hands no longer held together, Joseph took a firm grip on Mary's thigh as she pushed yet again. Cradling the baby wasn’t something he could do, nor, in reality, was it necessary. Mary’s leggings acted as a swaddle as the baby waggled.
“Breathe Mary. The head should be a bit easier at this angle.” Joseph wasn’t exactly sure of it, but he had to believe it was true. Starting at the chin, before her head would exit fully. “You’re in the home stretch baby…”
Mary let go of a strangled moan of effort, her face reddening as she bore down. The elation of delivering their daughter's body had now vanished, leaving only pressure and desperation, of needing to give birth.
“Nnnnnghh!!!!! Ohhhhh—god—come—on—” she growled, eyes scrunched and teeth gritted.
Every inch of her body was sore and trembling and exhausted, the burning stretch happening beneath her leggings was no easier to withstand than before. And yet she continued. With strength she didn’t know she had left, Mary gave her all into this moment and with it she could feel the gradual emergence of the baby’s facial features.
In a split second, with a guttural roar, the baby burst free from her body into the soft stretched gusset of her leggings and underwear. Mary jolted, as if electrocuted. With pure adrenaline and instinct she unhooked her legs from where they’d locked around Joseph’s, planting her feet back on the floor and rose to stand. Baby…. Get the baby…. It was the only thought running through her mind.
At first, it was silent, and Joseph’s heart seized. He helped Mary to rise and immediately reached into her leggings, finding their daughter's little body. As if she’d been waiting for her father, sudden wails filled the barn. All worries melted, and a healthy pink skinned baby emerged.
“Look at that…” Joseph said, feeling his eyes stinging with tears. “Hey there princess.” The baby was lifted to Mary, who quickly took her and placed her against her exposed bare skin. He got the two of them comfortable, sitting Mary down on the bale while he went to fetch blankets. His focus, until the storm passed, was warmth for the new life his loving bride had brought into the world.
Eight hours later, the couple emerged from the barn. Joseph supported Mary, her and the baby wrapped up in wool blankets that were part of the nativity.
It was supposed to be their last day out before the baby arrived. Erin and Lena had the whole day planned, their older two children were spending the weekend with their grandparents, so it was just the two of them and they knew from experience that once they had a newborn, alone time wouldn’t be easy to come by.
While her wife had been dropping their kids off, Erin had been getting ready, trying to will the contractions she had been feeling since the night before into being nothing more than braxton hicks. She wanted the day with her wife, the picnic by the pond, a long evening in bed, reminiscing on when it was just the two of them. But the pain had been growing, strengthening as each surge came closer and closer.
Lena found her in their bedroom, hands braced against the dresser as she rocked her hips side to side. She didn’t register that her wife had entered the room, to focused on trying not to cry, the pain rippling through her back and around to her abdomen, it was only when hands pressed against her hips, did she let out a quiet sigh.
The contraction passed and she straightened her back before leaning back into Lena. “How long, sweetheart?” She asked, her arms wrapped around Erin. “It started last night, I was hoping it wasn’t labour, we have plans.” They both almost laughed at the way she pouted, obviously disappointed by the disruption.
“The plans can wait, seems we’re having a baby today.” Erin nodded, moving out of Lena’s arms to change out of her sundress and into comfy shorts and an oversized shirt. “We should go now, they’re really close togeth… ughhhh.” her sentence was cut short as she groaned, dress now on the floor, shorts in hand as she tried to breathe through the growing pain. If she had to guess, she was getting four minutes between contractions, if she was lucky, it’d be a rush.
Just as the contraction passed, she felt a trickle down her leg. “Water’s gone. We have to go.” In a rush, the couple got Erin dressed and into the car, the short car ride to the hospital full of nerves. As her body continued to contract, it felt almost as if she could feel the baby moving lower, pressure beginning to build.
Seeing the hospital was. relief, a contraction building as Lena pulled into a parking space. Erin squeezed her eyes shut, hand gripping the door handle tightly. “Hnnnnnggggghhhhh!” She groaned, the pain intensifying, pressuring getting stronger as the urge to push began to creep up on her.
The pain passed and she quickly opened the door, Lena rushing out to help her. They got inside in record time, even with having to stop at the doors for another contraction. Erin waddled towards the elevator, just needing to get into a delivery room, not wanting to give birth in the lobby.
The elevator arrived and as soon as she stepped in, she felt her muscles tighten as her uterus squeezed. That urge to push hit full force, leaving her biting her lip, trying to hold off with everything she had. Lena wrapped her arm around her wife, whispering in her ear, pressing a kiss against her temple. “Almost there, my love.”
They reached their floor, the doors opened with a ding, but the two were stuck in place until Erin felt like she could breathe again, she let Lena lead her to the desk, more than happy for her to check them in. Her wife was talking but it all faded away yet another contraction struck. She couldn’t resist this time, the urge was a demand this time, one she couldn’t fight as she beared down with a grunt.
“Erin!” Lena had seen the look on her face before, when their second child had been born. There was a flurry of activity around Erin, one she only registered as the contraction faded and she was helped into a wheelchair. “I had to push, I’m sorry!” She shifted her hips uncomfortably as Lena assured her there was nothing to apologise for as she was rushed into another room, the urge returning once again.
“Mmmmmmnnnngggggghhhhhhhhh!” She was pushing again, whether she was wanted to or not, she could feel herself opening, her labia stretching. Erin could just nod quickly as she was lifted just enough to pull her shorts down, already beginning to crown.
The contraction soon passed, the crown holding strong as she panted through the burn. “Quick!” Was all she could say as she reached out for help up, grasping onto Lena’s hand as she moved towards the bed. She got to it just in time to sit on the edge of the mattress before she was pushing again.
The world around her blurred, a rush of activity happening as people gathered everything they needed but all Erin could focus on was the hold Lena had on her and the way her body opened, the head moving closer and closer.
There was a yell, calling for her to simply pant as the contraction passed. She glanced down between her legs, the head out, Lena already crying as her body begged her to push again. The go ahead that she could continue and the growing pain was almost sweet as she started to bear down once more. Her gaze stayed between her legs, watching as she pushed with everything she had, first one shoulder, than the other until finally, relief as the newborn was placed onto her chest, crying their tiny little lungs out.
Erin looked at the baby in her arms, tears falling down her cheeks before she laughed, shaking her head before resting her head against Lena’s shoulder, “This is so much better than a picnic.”She said, them both laughing as they looked in awe at the newest addition to their family.
“I can feel the head!” Jamie mumbled to herself, she had been labouring alone for the last eight hours, the snow storm raging outside her window having kept her from getting help, her wife stuck at an airport hundreds of miles away. But she was a midwife, she helped others deliver babies all the time, she could deliver her own.
She had set herself in her living room, walking laps around the coffee table as she felt the baby move further into her birth canal. Reaching between her legs, she ran her fingers against her opening before lowering herself to her knees. She grabbed a mirror, quickly setting it into position, needing to be able to see.
Looking at the mirror, it confirmed what she had been feeling, a sliver of baby hair, her body beginning to crown whether she wanted to or not. Jamie let out a shaky breath as her muscles clamped around her uterus. “Hnngggghhh!” She pushed deep, the view in the mirror showing as her body opened more and more, forehead appearing quickly.
“Ohh. Uhhhh. Mmmmmmnnnnn!” She gasped as the crown continued to stretch her lower lips, even as the contraction ended. Tears prickled in her eyes as she tried to breathe through the burn. It felt like an eternity before she could push again, knuckles turning white as she clung to the table, the mirror showing her progress.
Quickly the head was out, Jamie quickly shifting her hands to support it as she waited for the body to rotate. Another contraction built as she went to work again, “hmmmmgggghhhhhh!” her gaze stayed on the mirror, watching the first shoulder pop free and then the next before one final push had her child into the world with a loud cry from them both.
Holding the crying newborn to her naked chest, Jamie shakily shuffled towards her couch, sitting in front of it, before staring at her baby girl, a smile on her face as the snow continued to fall.
thank you! hope you like it! (big fan of your work too! @shhhsecretsideblog)
Angie had never imagined that this was how her labour would go, at forty one weeks pregnant with baby number four, she had figured she probably had it down by now. But she and her partner, Luke had left for the hospital almost an hour ago, leaving home when her contractions had reached five minutes apart. They had yet to even make it to the car, the elevator breaking down between floors.
“Oh, I think I wanna push.” She said, the urgency she felt causing her voice to shake, she knew once she felt the pressure begin to change that it wouldn’t be long before the baby would arrive, ten minutes was the longest she has ever had to push for.
“They’ll get us out soon. You need to wait. Please!” Angie could hear the panic in her partners voice, but as. contraction built, with it came an undeniable force from within her. Sat on the floor, her back against the wall, she gave into the demands of her body, baring down with a quiet grunt. The baby wasn’t going to wait, already she could feel the head pressing against her opening, so close yet so far to entering the world.
The contraction passed and she looked over to her partner, giving him an apologetic smile, “they’re not getting here in time. I can do this, just get a blanket from the bag and don’t let her hit the ground.”
She lifted her hips, quickly removing her underwear and shifting her skirt. “Bout to push again.” She warned, feeling the pressure building as she shifted her shirt out the way, she hooked her arms around her knees, pulling them wide and she pushed, her vulva slowly beginning to spread as the head descended further. “Hnnngh!” She groaned, pushing and pushing through the contraction that felt never ending as she crowned.
“Oh fuck! Fuck. That hurts!” Panting heavily, she only had a few seconds, contractions blurring into one after another. “Ahhhh, uuuughhh!” She pushed again, the head spreading her wider and wider until suddenly it was out. She looked down, seeing it cradled in Luke’s waiting hands.
Her body tightened and Angie let out a roar she was sure the whole building would hear. She pushed again, one shoulder coming free and then another. “Ngggghhhhhh!” One more push, one final effort and the baby slid free from her body, into the arms of her father before quickly being placed against her chest.
She was catching her breath, in awe of the tiny life in her arms when the elevator began moving again, the two parents sharing a laugh at timing.
“Are you pushing?!?” She can barely hear the question, the panic coming from her best friend, everything within her was screaming at her to give into the urge she had been so desperately trying to resist. Her labour had progressed quickly, contractions that were more than just her body preparing for the big event only starting a few hours before her water broke, leaving Victoria and her friend scrambling to get out the door.
The contraction passed, the world returned as she realised Katie was standing in front of her, shielding her from any nosy neighbours. “I couldn’t stop it.” She panted, everything was happening so fast, too fast and the only thing she could do was listen to the demands of her labouring body.
Victoria was standing in the doorway, Katie just a few steps ahead of her when she had given in, her stance had widened, knees bent as she clung to the door frame for support, grunting with effort as she pushed. The rest of the world faded away in that moment, all she could focus on was the feeling of the baby moving further into her birth canal, her body opening to bring her child into the world.
“Okay. Let’s get you back inside. We can call an ambulance.” Victoria’s grasp moved from the door to Katie as she was lead back into the house, back towards her bedroom, the mother to be suddenly grateful for her single storey home. “Oh, it’s starting again.” She warned, pressure building, she bit her lip, trying not to push, to make it to the bed first but before she knew it, it felt as if her body was pushing of its own accord, she could do nothing but plant her feet, falling into a deep squat as she bore down. She could faintly feel Katie’s hand gently against her back, her body opening more, the press of a crown against her covered opening as she worked through the contraction.
The pain passed and as she let go of the push to catch her breath, the crown receded. She moved to stand once more, hand resting against her belly. She could already feel the beginning of another contraction, pressure heavy in her pelvis. “I need these off!” She panicked, pulling at the waistband of her leggings as her uterus tightened, she let out a cry, of pain, of frustration, Katie quickly helping her undress before she sunk onto her knees. “Hnnngggghhhh” she pushed deep, through the burn as the crown spread her open. “Don’t go back.” She grunted, pushing again, and again. The contraction felt as if it was never ending, she glanced down, seeing her child coming into the world.
The head was out, Victoria taking a second to breathe as the baby shifted, preparing to deliver the shoulders, she barely registered Katie on the phone to paramedics. Before she knew it, her body was demanding her to work again, pain building with purpose. She pushed again, letting out a scream as one shoulder and then another came free, pushing her child free from her body and into her waiting arms.
“Oh my god!” She cried, tears of shock and joy rolling down her cheeks as she brought her crying newborn to her chest, looking to her best friend in disbelief. It was far from the birth the she had planned, but it had been more than Victoria ever could have imagined.
The room was illuminated by the twinkling lights of the tree as Grace and Lyla swayed together quietly, Grace’s large belly between them. She was forty weeks and three days pregnant, her labour had finally begun early that afternoon and now they were just waiting, for the moment they had so desperately waiting for all these months.
“Do you think she’ll be born before or after midnight?” Grace asked, her cheek pressed against her partners shoulder. “After. It’s almost eleven, my love.” At Lyla’s response, she pouted, ready for her pain to be over but she had also been hoping their daughter would be born before christmas day. Her waters had yet to break though, even if contractions were already four minutes apart and steadily growing stronger.
The fire crackled as her uterus tightened, pulling a groan from her lips, she felt Lyla’s hands applying pressure against her back and she hummed her thanks as the pain grew. “Oh god!” The pain crested before finally passing, leaving her panting to catch her breath. “I want to pace, I gotta move.” She and Lyla let go of one another, leaving Grace the chance to walk laps around their living room. On her fifth lap the tightening began again, she stopped in front of the tree, hands cradling her belly, hips rocking back and forth as her body continued to work.
As the clock struck twelve, Grace lowered herself onto the sofa, giving their wonderful midwife, Mae the chance to check her progress. “You’re at nine centimetres, chicken. Waters will likely go before much longer.” As soon as she was done, Grace was standing again, feeling far too restless to sit. “So, not much longer. I get to push, we get a baby for Christmas.” She said, flashing a smile at her partner.
1am was quickly approaching as Grace rocked, bounced and rolled her hips on the yoga ball, the pressure between her legs growing stronger with each contraction. “Hmmmm, hmmmmmmmmm.” She tried humming through the pain from the vice grip her muscles had on her womb, barely a minute apart now. The feeling of a pop had her standing quicker than she thought herself capable of, her waters finally gone and with them came the undeniable need to push.
Hands on her belly, she grunted as she gave into the need, bearing down as Lyla and Mae jumped into action. “Babe, do you want to be on the couch?” Lyla asked, Grace simply shaking her head as she let go of the push. “Can’t sit.” She told her, sinking to her knees. She was moving on pure instinct now, simply listening to the demands of her body.
Mae got into position, with Graces go ahead she was about to check her progress when she saw a shock of baby hair. “I can already see the head, little one doesn’t want to wait.”
She shifted forward onto her hands, rocking her hips back and forth until she was pushing again. Grace could feel it all, the way her child moved further through her birth canal, the burning sensation as her labia stretched around the head. “Ahhhh, hnnnnngggghhhhhhh!” She cried out as the contraction ended, the head holding the crown. She panted against the burn, moving back up onto her knees, Lyla quickly moving in front of her, supporting her wait.
“Oh god!” She groaned before she was pushing again, Mae gently guided her hands between her legs, and she glanced down, seeing the head emerge into her waiting hands. “Oh!” It felt surreal, they were so close now as her body contracted once more. Her body bore down on instinct, her body working hard to bring a shoulder free, quickly followed by the other before the contraction ended.
There was very little opportunity for Grace to catch her breath, almost as quickly as the last contracted had passed, the next one began. She pushed deep, her grunts turning into a roar as she pushed her daughter into the world, into her waiting arms.
“She’s here!” Grace called out, tears of joy falling down her cheeks as she brought the crying newborn to her bare chest. Mae and Lyla helped her to sit down, her back against her partner as Lyla wrapped her arms around her girls. “Merry Christmas, Sweetheart.” Grace whispered as the two shared a kiss before their gaze moved back to their perfect baby daughter.
“I’m never leaving the house again!” Evie insisted with a groan, her round belly tightening as her body prepared to bring another baby into the world. For Evie and her wife, Melinda, the desire had always been to have a big family. Their daughter was two now, her entrance into the world one that she had hoped to never relive. But here she was, thirty seven weeks pregnant with baby number two, far away from home and once again in labour.
She and Melinda had taken the day to borrow their friends lake house. A few hours away from home, but there had been no signs that labour had been imminent, induction had even been brought up. It was obvious that wouldn’t be necessary. “Honey, I don’t want to be catching another one, let’s get you in the car.” Evie’s waters had broken suddenly as they had been preparing to head down to the waters edge, contractions coming strong and fast.
The couple moved to the car quickly, Evie crying out as her body tensed. “Fuuuck! Ohhhh, ugggghhhhhhh!” it was happening faster this time, contractions already close enough together to have Melinda worrying. The nearest hospital was an hour away, their odds weren’t great, but she wasn’t about to say that out loud.
As her wife drove, Evie did her best to try to stay calm. Just once she wanted the birth she had planned, one that didn’t involve their car turning into a birthing suite. Her hands rested against her belly, it had dropped the day before, the weight of it heavy in her pelvis, with their daughter that had happened weeks before she had arrived, she thought she had time, but it would seem that baby sibling was impatient about joining them.
Twenty minutes passed, the hospital still no where in sight and Evie was struggling, pressure was building with every contraction, all she wanted to do was move, pace, squat, anything but staying in the same position. She lifted her hips, trying to find a small bit of comfort. “Hmmmmmmmmnnnnngghh!” The contraction struck without any build up, stronger than the others, she tried to breathe through it, but could only groan from the intensity.
Another twenty minutes went by, her contractions now only a minute apart, Evie had slid her hand between her legs, as if she could keep the baby inside. “Should I pull over?” Melinda asked, glancing at her wife who shook her head in response. “No. ‘We can make it!”
They couldn’t make it, Evie realised, the urge to push growing harder and harder to resist. A contraction began, her body screaming at her to give in and so she did. She bore down with a grunt, lifting her dress and pushing her underwear down to her ankles.
She began to crown with a speed she simply hadn’t expected, panting heavily through the burn. “I’m pulling over!” Melinda said, glancing at the head between her wife’s legs. “Don’t. I can do this, just get us to the hospital.”
Everything around her seemed to blur, all Evie could focus on now was giving birth. Another contraction built and with it, she pushed. Her yells filled the car, her hands between her open legs as the head emerged. She panted heavily, waiting for the baby to turn, the sensation just as strange the second time. “Hhhnnnngggh…” She was pushing again, the shoulders shifting forward and before she knew it, their second child was in her hands.
“It’s a boy.” She said shakily, laughing as she brought him to her chest, just in time for Melinda to pull into the parking lot.
It wasn’t supposed to be like this, Evie had a plan, she’d had a plan since her pregnancy had been confirmed and that plan hadn’t included going into labour on a trail miles away from the car. She had been pushing her luck, going out for a drive so far away from home at thirty eight weeks, but she had been determined to get one last walk in.
She and her wife had just decided to turn back when her waters had broken, what has started as trickle, quickly becoming a gush of fluids, hitting the ground beneath her feet. “Shit. No.” A shaky breath left her lips, her hands holding her belly protectively. Her wife, Melinda looking at her with concern, “those braxton hicks, they were real contractions, weren’t they, babe?” Evie bit her lip before nodding, the realisation hitting her just as her muscles tensed, she groaned softly, leaning into Melinda as she felt her arm wrap around her shoulders, focusing on the pain until it passed. “We need to move.”
The two slowly made their way back towards the car, Evie waddling with every step, the baby feeling impossibly low in her hips. She managed to keep moving through a few contractions, until one struck, they were half way back but the tightening of her abdomen knocked the wind out of her, anchoring her in place. “Ohhh, hmmmmm.” She rocked her hips until it passed. She took a moment to catch her breath before nodding to Melinda, “They’re getting stronger, I can’t give birth out here.” There was a panic in her voice as she started moving again, her wife quickly catching up. “We’ll make it back to the car and to the hospital.” It was a promise she didn’t think she could keep, but she knew it was what her wife needed to hear.
It took twice as long to make their way back along the trail, labour progressing fast as Evie had to stop more and more. One particularly strong contraction, found her bracing herself against a tree. “Hnnnnggghh! Oh god!” She groaned, she got less than five minutes between each burst of pain, the fear that she would be delivering in the wilderness creeping in. “You’ve got this, you’re doing so well. We’re almost there.” Melinda was by her side, rubbing her back, whispering encouragement in her ear. She was preparing herself to be the one to play midwife, realising it would be a miracle if they made it to a hospital in time.
Just under half a mile out, Evie accepted that her best bet now was making it to the car, the urge to push had been creeping in through the last few contractions. Another hit, grabbing at her uterus in a vice grip, her body demanded that she squat and that was exactly what she did, more groans were pulled from her lips as her body opened up, the baby was closer now, “don’t push, don’t push, can’t push.” she mumbled to herself, panting heavily as it passed. “Babe. If you have to push, we’ll stay. It’s okay.” Melinda assured her but she simply shook herself, clumsily pushing herself up and walking again. “I am not giving birth on this damn trail!”
As they got closer to the car, the contractions grew stronger, the urge harder to ignore as Evie push herself to keep walking as her body screamed at her to push. She could see their car, the only one in the parking lot when another contraction struck, not even a minute after the last. “Ahhhh!” It was undeniable now, unable to stop herself, she gave in, bearing down with a grunt as she felt the head already beginning to push against her opening. “No.” She whispered desperately as the contraction passed.
She was so close now, but still she had to stop again, another surge of pain, another push, her body slowly opening more, stretching around a head before it receded. They reached the car and Evie leaned heavily against it, pushing once again as Melinda fumbled to find the keys. “Mel! Quick! I think i’m crowning!” She screamed through the push, if she could think clearly, she would be having second thoughts about pushing her shorts down.
With wide eyes, Melinda got the car unlocked and helped Evie in as she stepped out of her shorts. Evie crawled into the back seat, rocking on her hands and knees. “Get my underwear off.” She begged, already pushing again, her wife quickly removing the offending item. “Hhhhnnnnggghh! Burns!” As she pushed, she felt herself opening, the burning sting of their child’s head coming to a full crown.
“Almost there, babe!” Melinda assured her, the head was completely out as the contraction ended. “Need to move.” Evie didn’t wait for any help, as she shifted uncomfortably so she could sit, hands cradling the head between her legs as she sat back against the door. “Holy shit!” The two mothers to be laughed, sharing a look of awe as they looked at their baby, so close to being in their arms.
“Oh god. Ahhh, hhhhhnnnnngggggggghhhhh!” Evie let out a scream as her body tensed once again and she pushed the shoulders free, growling as she kept pushing, their newborn daughter finally leaving her body into her mother’s arms.
Cries filled the car, both from the newborn and her mothers as Melinda placed her against Evie’s chest, the two talking a moment to enjoy the beginnings of being three.
“Ohhhh, hmmmmmmm!” Loud groans filled the house, the main bedroom was lit with candles as Claudia worked through a strong contraction. For forty one long weeks, she had been waiting for this moment, she and her partner, Steph had been waiting patiently for the day to arrive and just a few hours before, it finally had, Claudia’s water breaking just after lunch.
Labour had progressed quickly, far faster than they could have expected. They were already pushing, though that was taking some time. Resting on their bed, back against her partners chest, mirror set up so she could see it all, she breathed deeply, calmly, excited for what was to come.
It crept through her, the tightening of her abdomen, muscles squeezing around her uterus, bringing their child ever so closer to the world. There was pressure in her hips and an urge that Claudia couldn’t fight. “Hmmmngh” She gave in, baring down, legs open wide as she looked into the mirror, seeing how she bulged, progress being made.
She continued this was for the next contractions, gaze focused in the mirror until finally, she saw her vagina begin to open, the top of a head peeking through, a groan of frustration left her lips as the contraction ended and it slipped back in. “In such a rush and now they’re taking forever.” Part of her wanted to cry but she knew, they were almost there, so very close.
So it went, contraction, push, her body opening more and more each time until finally the head no longer receded. “Burns. Fuck, that hurts.” She moaned as slipped a hand between her legs, fingers brushing against the skin around the crown. A few more pushes, she watched in the mirror until finally the head was out.
She panted heavily, gaze leaving the mirror and looking down, her child’s head in her hands, a smile on her face, they were almost there.
Steph was whispering in her ear, words of encouragement, a little bit of flirting to make her laugh as they waiting for the baby to shift. The sensation of them turning in her birth canal was unlike anything she had ever felt but before she had a chance to think about it anymore, her body was contracting.
“Hhhhhnnnngggghhhhh!” She growled, giving everything she had into pushing, delivering their baby straight into her own hands.
No time was wasted as Claudia brought the newborn to her bare chest, the new mothers crying tears of joy as they stared down at their daughter, Steph whispering Happy Birthday, a kiss was pressed to Claudia’s cheek as the two revelled in the moment they had waited so long for.
Kathryn and her heavily pregnant wife, Amber, were watching their son’s first baseball game when their daughter decided to make her arrival.
10k words. Co-written as a roleplay with the incredibly talented clairejones2465 on DA 💜
The morning had been a flurry of activity as Kathryn and Amber prepared for their son’s first baseball game. The couple had met years ago, immediately discovering how in tune they were with each other. The women became inseparable, fell in love quickly and were only married two short years later. Now they had a six year old boy named Nathan whom Kathryn had given birth to via sperm donor.
Although the family was extremely close, they felt someone was missing. That’s why Amber was currently 39 and a half weeks pregnant with their daughter. Not so coincidentally, this baby was from the same sperm donor as their son.
Nathan was excited to become a big brother but Amber had to admit, she was nervous about giving birth. Seeing her wife do it was one thing but Amber had never had good intuition. She really hoped that her body would know just how to deliver their baby.
In addition to Amber doing yoga and meditation throughout her entire pregnancy, the couple had an amazing friend who would was also a midwife. Cassie would meet them at the house when the time came and help deliver their child.
While Nathan was of course excited about his new sister, baseball was the only thing on his mind this morning. “Mumma! We’re gonna be late! Where’s Mom?”
Kathryn was Mumma and Amber was Mom. The women were both undeniably obsessed with their son. They were damn good mothers which was why Amber was dragging her heavily pregnant butt to the baseball field on a hot late summer morning.
“Mom’s right here sweetie,” Amber says, one hand on the railing of the stairs, the other supporting her back. Her heavily pregnant belly was huge and rounded, looking like it had dropped a little since the beginning of the week. “Mmhhh hhooo I’m ready. Let’s get to the field before your sister kicks me in the bladder again.” Amber smirks, listening to Nathan giggle and grab his baseball glove. “Oof I feel like a beached whale babe.” She lets out a sigh, looking at her pair of athletic black leggings and a tight white t-shirt that had Nathan’s school name on it.
“You look gorgeous darling.” Kathryn said, greeting her wife at the bottom of the stairs and wrapping her arms around Amber’s lower back, pulling her in for a kiss. “Positively glowing.”
As Kathryn moved her hands around her wife’s rounded torso, they paused at the underside of Amber’s bump, which seemed a lot lower and heavier. “Our little girl has dropped a bit more hasn’t she? You’re carrying a lot lower today darling.”
Kathryn remembered all too well what it was like at this stage in pregnancy; everything felt so tight and heavy and effortful. Even breathing was hard work. She felt bad that Amber was heavily pregnant during the height of summer, when she was carrying Nathan it was winter time when she was at her heaviest. She couldn’t imagine dealing with this heat alongside the extra weight her poor wife was carrying. But she had to admit, Amber looked incredible when pregnant. The way her cheeks filled and face softened, the glow behind her eyes as she carried new life. Kathryn fell more and more in love with her wife every day.
“Are you sure you’re okay to come today? I know Nathan wants you there but still, if you need to relax at home I can manage today solo.” Kathryn asked discreetly, so their six year old didn’t hear. Too busy practicing his catching in the living room to notice the quiet conversation of his parents.
Amber lets out the softest moan as she kissed her wife’s lips, feeling Kathryn’s hand on her lower back. “Mmmmh I’ll be okay, love,” she says, looking at the clock and realizing they have a few minutes before they have to hit the road. “He’s so excited for us both to come, I can tough it out with little Miss.” She caressed her large low bump, feeling their girl rolling and kicking. Poor girl’s running out of room, Amber thought to herself.
“Before we leave, do you mind lifting this low girl up for a couple minutes? My back is really aching today.” Amber ties her hair up into a ponytail, knowing she’ll be hot today. She then turns her back to her wife, excited to get a couple minutes of relief. The two had seen the trend on social media and from the second Kathryn lifted her belly, Amber loved it. She only wished they’d known about it when Kathryn was pregnant.
“I can’t believe she’s almost here,” Amber sighs as Kathryn begins lifting her belly up gently from behind. “Mmhhhh ooohhh, I promise you can have the next baby and I’ll do this.” Amber says cheekily, loving to tease her wife. While Amber would fill the whole house with kids, Kathryn was more career centered and practical, she was thinking two would be enough.
Both women were incredible mothers, Kathryn just wanted to see how they meshed as a family of four before they thought about adding more children.
Chuckling, Kathryn kissed the pulse point on Amber’s neck while her hands kept that upwards pull to lift the heavy swell of her wife’s bump. “You’ve not even had this little one and you’re already trying to get me to carry the next.”
The pair rocked gently side to side, allowing Amber to really feel the benefit of this position, to be able to move her hips without the weight of their daughter pulling her down.
“Yknow, if you’re so keen on having a whole football team of kids, perhaps you should be the one to pop them out. Besides, I’ve rather enjoying having a pregnant wife waddling around the house.” Kathryn smirks, playfully nibbling Amber’s earlobe.
Amber grinned and kissed Kathryn back. “Mmmh we’ll see how this birth goes.” She wasn’t nervous per se, they had an incredible midwife set up and Amber knew her wife wouldn’t leave her side. “I do love being pregnant though.” Amber rubs her hands over where her wife’s holding. “I could be persuaded to have another. . .”
Their moment was fast interrupted by Nathan skidding out of the living room and to the front door. “Mumma, Mom, it’s not time for cuddles… it’s time for baseball!” He swung his kid-sized bat in a practicing move and although the wooden bat was smaller for a child’s grip, there was still risk of injury.
“Hey, hey, hey! Easy there buddy. No swinging that inside, you know the rules. You could hurt someone.” Kathryn gently scolded, releasing her hold on Amber’s bump abruptly to quickly grab Nathan’s bat and prevent it from colliding against any furniture, or Amber’s belly. “You have to be careful sweetie, your Mom is growing your baby sister remember. So we need to be gentle around Mom okay?”
The young boy nodded sheepishly, saying a rehearsed ‘sorry’. The look of remorse lasted two seconds before he was running to the door and unlocking the latch. When he learnt how to do that, Kathryn didn’t know. They needed eyes and ears in the backs of their heads with one kid these days, lord knows how they were going to cope with two.
“We better go before Nathan takes my keys and drives himself to the field.” Kathryn says with a warm smile. Her eyes dance over her wife’s expression, checking she was okay after the sudden abrupt end to the brief moment of respite from carrying their daughter.
Amber felt the baby drop at the sudden loss of Kate’s hands but recovered quickly. “Mmhhh, yeah let’s going gorgeous.” Amber gave her another quick kiss before they were heading out of the door.
Amber couldn’t believe how cute their son looked in his baseball uniform. He’d always been interested in sports, having a real liking to baseball as well as football. Dear Lord, let’s hope he doesn’t like football as much in the fall, Amber thought to herself. The idea of watching their son being tackled was not something she’d like very much.
Amber grins as Kathryn gets their son buckled in, starting to heave herself into the passenger seat. “Mmhhhh. . .” She lets out a soft moan, feeling a pain that radiates from her spine outwards. It makes her pause only for a moment, the cramping moving around her heavy belly.
“Your daughter’s getting ready in there, these Braxton Hicks are killing me.” Amber smirks as they get into the SUV. She’d been having them randomly for the past couple of days and knew it was nothing to be concerned about.
Always the prepared one, Kathryn had already installed the car seat in the back, right next to their son’s booster seat. Amber couldn’t believe how well she lucked out, to find a woman that balanced her so perfectly.
As Kathryn sat into the driver's seat she took a moment to appreciate the effort of her wife, heaving herself into the car when heavily pregnant, her bump so round and low. “Not long to go now sweetheart. The final stretch.” Kathryn said with a smile, her hand reaching over to affectionately caress the dome of Amber’s bump.
Nathan spent the journey singing to his latest favourite song, one he had learned on a kids television show. One they had heard a thousand times over. It wasn’t far to the baseball field, about 20 minutes from their house. The sun was strong in the sky, not a cloud in sight, and Kathryn turned the A/C up in the car and adjusted the vents so they were pointed towards her gravid partner. She noticed how Amber couldn’t seem to get comfortable in her seat, even with her legs wide apart around her belly there wasn’t much other room for manoeuvring.
When they got to the field a lot of parents had already arrived. Kathryn was forced to park further away than was really practical in Amber’s condition, stuck on the very end of a long row of late family sized vehicles. “Sorry love, I can drop you closer to the field if you like and then park?”
The pressure in Amber's lower belly only heightened as they parked. “No worries love. I’ll be parked on the couch all night, a walk will do me good.” She smirked, caressing her bump and trying to calm down the restless life inside.
“Let’s go!” Nathan said excitedly from the back. He knows the rule, he can’t jump out of the car unless an adult is with him. He listened, but was practically writhing in his seat to get out.
Amber takes a deep breath before unbuckling herself, using what felt like the last of her energy to heave herself out of the SUV. “Come on bud,” she opened the door for their son who’s unbuckled himself, “I know you’re gonna do great today, just remember to have fun!” Amber leaned down and kissed his forehead, almost unable to stand back up. She felt a cramp starting in her back but it quickly moved around to her belly. It’s the most intense one she’s felt so far. “Mmhhhhhh. . .” Her hand grips her knee, thankful that Kathryn is still on the other side of the SUV.
Luckily Nathan is too excited about his first game to notice Mom’s slight distress. Amber stood straight and took a few steps towards them, a smile on her face. “Mumma! Coach says that I have such a good swing, I can’t wait to get up to bat!” He said, practically dragging his mothers to the field.
Amber was definitely moving slower but she kept a smile on her face for their boy. She just didn’t know how much longer she could keep it going if their daughter continued to sink lower and lower into her hips.
Nathan outstretched his arms either side, each hand holding onto one of his parents, eagerly walking ahead of both women in his excitement to see his school friends and play baseball. Kathryn was laddered with all the bags; a backpack, Nathan’s sports kit, his bat and balls and gloves, sunglasses on her head and her Stanley cup. Despite being a mother of a young boy, Kathryn still managed to look effortless and chic, never quite letting her professional appearance slip. Her wide legged linen trousers softly moved in the faint breeze, a thin lightweight blouse tucked into her trousers, the silhouette covering any lingering evidence from her pregnancy six years ago.
Looking at her wife she didn’t fail to spot the grimaces and heavy breathing as they walked the long stretch from their parked car to the bleachers. Biting her tongue she gave her wife a look that asked Are you doing okay? Amber’s returning grin assured her that her wife was just heavily, heavily pregnant.
Their son let go of their hands the moment he saw the rest of his team. He practically jumped up and down in excitement as he took his bat and gloves from Kathryn, eager to get into the excitement happening on the sidelines of the field.
“Break a leg sweetheart.” Kathryn said kissing his forehead, incorrectly using the good luck sentiment used for performing artists as opposed to sportsmen and earning an eye roll from her American partner.
Kathryn looked towards the stand, rows and rows of parents already seated with their other children or grandparents, bags of snacks with the mums, and a rumbling of social catch ups adding to the noise of the day. “Oh no…. Sorry we didn’t get here any earlier, don’t think there’s many seats left. Wait— there’s space at the top over in the left corner.” She said to her wife, gesturing in the vague direction. “Want a hand getting up there my darling?”
Amber had barely made it to the stands without needing a rest, now she saw that she had to trek up rows and rows of steps. “Mmhh yeah, I don’t think I’ll make it without one.” Amber gave a tight grin and took her wife’s hand, thumb caressing the back of it. She couldn’t help but remember holding this very hand when Kathryn was laboring with Nathan. It had been a long labor, filled with painful contractions and pushing that seemed to go on forever. This labor better be a quick one, she manifests.
Amber was more than excited to see their son during his first baseball game, though she was a little irked being this pregnant in hot weather. All she could do was suck it up and slowly maneuver up the steps with her wife’s help. She was a little nervous with all the bags, snacks and little ones sitting along the aisle of the steps. Normally she’d have no problem seeing below her, but their little girl wasn’t quite so little anymore. Her belly seemed to stick out further and further these days. Thankfully their daughter had dropped so Amber could breathe a tad better.
The pair finally makes it to their seats when Amber realized she was sweating a bit. Her breath came out in soft pants, another cramp in her belly starting. The pain seemed to stem from her back and slowly work its way around. “Mmhh Nathan’s lucky I love him.” She teased, giving her big belly a rub as she settled in next to Kathryn.
“I’ll take a water whenever you get a second honey.” Amber said, hoping maybe that would cool her body off and possibly stop these cramps. Freakin’ Braxton hicks are killing me, she thought to herself. Amber didn’t want to worry Kathryn with them though, she knew they had some time before their baby girl came.
Kathryn’s heart ached at seeing the furrow in Amber’s expression as she tried to get comfortable on the metal bench, the way she shifted and parted her legs to accommodate the full swell of her bump. She grabbed a bottle of water from their backpack, handing it to Amber and then moved her hand to support her wife’s back. “I’m sure Nathan’s really appreciative of you coming today.” Kathryn mused, looking down at the young kiddo’s in their pre-match discussions while her hand moved habitually up and down her wife’s spine.
The braxton hicks had been a frequent occurrence in their household, there wasn’t a day that went by where Amber wasn’t humming through a rogue tightness as her womb practiced for the main event. Kathryn remembered it all too well, panicking that it was labour the first time she experienced it with Nathan. But they were more experienced parents now, they’d done this before, so they knew to expect a good number of weeks of cramps, shifting of pressure, losing the mucus plug etc before their daughter would be joining them.
Still, it was a humid, scorching day and her wife was heavy with child and sitting on a metal bench in the bright sunshine. Kathryn moved her hands to press into the lower part of Amber’s back between her hips, where she knew she’d been feeling the most discomfort with the baby having dropped into her pelvis.
“I know you said you’re fine, but let me know if you need to move around or get some shade or something. Okay sweetie?” Kathryn said quietly in her wife’s ear as she rubbed her back.
Amber couldn’t help but smile at her sweet wife. Since they’d been together, they had this way of knowing what the other needed. Kathryn’s hands massaged the exact spot where Amber was aching, showing that she’d been pregnant before. “Thank you, love.” Amber leans and kisses her wife’s cheek softly.
The heat in Amber's eyes lingered as she thought about the night before. The pair had gotten their son to bed early and had some much needed alone time. Amber had lost count of how many times they made each other come using their mouths, hands and toys. Amber wasn’t sure if it was because of her pregnancy or what but she’d had to take a shower to clean up after, that’s how wet she was.
Her womb felt heavy as they turned their attention to the field, the game beginning. The parents had a clear view of Nathan in the dugout, impatiently waiting for his turn at bat. “He’s so cute waiting, looks like he’s g-gonna… crawl out of his skin.” Amber struggled through the sentence, another pain in her swollen belly. “Mmhhh… I’m okay.” She said, though she wasn’t sure if she was telling Kathryn or herself.
Kathryn had filled Amber in on as much of her pregnancy as she could, explaining everything she was feeling and where she felt it. However, it was of course different to have those experiences yourself. Amber wasn’t sure if she was feeling just run of the mill Braxton Hicks or if something more was happening. First babies almost never come early, Amber reasoned in her head, making a note to look at her watch to discreetly start timing the pains.
Nathan is waiting for two kids to bat before it’s his turn. “You’re in charge of photos love,” Amber said as she eyed the bleachers below, “My luck, I’d lean too far over and go tumbling.”
“You know I’d never let that happen.” Kathryn snaked her arm around Amber’s waist and squeezed gently but affectionately. “I’d never let you that far out of reach.”
She noticed how much tension Amber was carrying in her back but chalked it up to having to perch on a metal bench with no back rest, with her womb falling heavy between her thighs it was no wonder her wife’s back was tense to keep her upright.
The heat from the sun meant they couldn’t have too much body contact without causing either of them to overheat, so after the gentle squeeze around the waist Kathryn moved her hand back to rub across Amber’s lower back once more. The cotton t-shirt stretched over her wife’s torso had dampened slightly with sweat. “I wish I’d thought to bring out handheld fans with us today. I didn’t expect it to be this warm.”
Nathan was soon approaching his turn to bat, bouncing up and down on the balls of his feet in both excitement and nervousness and preparation. Kathryn immediately got her phone out from the pocket of her linen trousers, hands abandoning her wife’s back in order to sit up straighter and take all the photos of her son’s moment in the limelight. “Go on darling.” Kathryn muttered under her breath as she zoomed in on her perfect little guy in his jersey and helmet.
Amber's excitement for their son distracted her from the contraction building up. . . almost. “You’ve got this buddy!” Amber calls, her hand reached out to grip her wife’s knee. It seemed like she grabbed it from the nerves of watching Nathan, but it was really from the heavy tightening in her womb.
“Mmhhhh mhmhhhhh. . . Hhhooo… Mmhh.” Amber let out the softest moan, thankful that Kathryn was the only one that could hear. “I’m okay,” Amber reassured both her wife as well as herself. “Just practice contractions. . .”
Nathan took his place at home plate, holding his bat exactly how Mom taught him. Amber had played softball and was able to help their son learn how to hold it properly, how to swing it for the best results. Amber couldn’t help but giggle as she thought of Kathryn just last week trying to help Nathan. With Amber's belly getting so big, she knew she couldn’t move fast enough if Nathan lost control of the bat. Mumma had tried her best to take over practices in the backyard.
The pregnant mother gripped her belly, slowly running her fingertips along the side of it. “C-calm down in there. . . It’s your brother’s time to shine.” Amber mumbled to her swollen belly.
Kathryn had just smiled when she felt her wife grab her knee, both of them nervous for their son’s first proper game, and she was completely unaware of the true reason for the squeeze. The British mother was entirely focused on the scene through the screen of her phone, Nathan’s pulling his bat back in preparation. She knew nothing really of baseball but had learnt a little in recent weeks when Amber could no longer practice with him. But if Kathryn was being honest, she still had no clue, beyond having to hit the ball with the bat and then run like hell around the pitch.
Nathan missed the first throw and both mothers hissed through their teeth in disappointment. “Stay calm sweetie, you can do this.” Kathryn whispered, the words of encouragement no doubt being picked up on the video she was recording.
She was so focused on their son and his game she didn’t notice the shifting of her wife beside her, or register the soft humming that was coming from Amber’s throat. Nathan missed the second throw as well and she heard Amber curse beside her. It was Kathryn’s sentiments exactly. They’d practiced so much and Nathan was so excited, she wanted him to do well. She didn’t want to go back home with a brokenhearted six year old.
Amber's heart felt like it was in her throat as the pair watched their son miss the first two hits. She could tell by her son’s body language that he was getting frustrated with himself. He wasn’t the only one that felt that way, Amber was frustrated with her body at the moment. Another Braxton Hicks took hold of her belly and she struggled not to let out a soft moan.
“Mmhhhh you’ve got this. . .” She said, Kathryn unaware that she was talking to Nathan as well as herself. Amber held her breath from the contraction, though it looked like it was because she was watching Nathan. Their son took his stance again with a determined look on his face, both mothers hoping and praying he would make the hit. The pitch comes and Nathan hits the ball high into the air.
“Oohh!” Amber rose to her feet as quickly as she could, excitement overtaking her. She stuttered through the pain of the contraction but it just looked like she was cheering their boy on. “G-Go! Go Nathan run!”
Their son takes off for first base, he rounds second but stops as the other team has caught the ball. “Y-Yes! Good job b-buddy!” Amber hid her grimace, a tight smile plastered onto her face. She held onto Kathryn’s hand as they sat back down, clapping before the next play.
“You must be a better coach than you thought.” Amber grinned at her wife.
“Me? Ha. He gets it all from you. I don’t know one end of the bat from the other.” Kathryn joked, sitting back down and taking a sip of water.
The feeling of pride was so strong in her chest she thought she could burst. Her little boy, out there living his best lift. She might not understand the game but she’d support him in whatever he wanted to do. Even if it was American sports.
“Drink?” Kathryn asked distractedly, eyes still focused on their six year old at the second base, offering the bottle of water to her wife who would be no doubt just as focused as she was. Kathryn wasn’t surprised that Amber jumped to her feet in excitement, well as much as she was able to with their daughter sitting low in her wife’s pelvis.
Without missing a second of the game, Kathryn’s hand moved from passing her wife the bottle to resting on the small of Amber’s back, absentmindedly running up and down, proud parents watching Nathan as he watches where the ball is currently in the game, ready to leap forward to the next base at the first opportunity.
“Mmhhh… thank you.” Amber took a few sips of water, the cold feeling good on her tongue. The next boy up to bat took his place and Nathan stood, more than ready to run for the next base. “You’ve got this Nathan!” Amber yelled, distracted by the game for a moment, unconsciously rubbing her aching belly.
Kathryn’s hand on her back grounded her, kept her focused on their son. “These Braxton Hicks are a little stronger than when I got up this morning,” Amber said, taking a deep breath in through her nose and out through her mouth. She probably picked the wrong time to say that as her wife was engrossed in the game.
Suddenly the kid on home base gets a hit, Nathan dashes madly from second to third base. The other team scrambled for the ball as Nathan stopped and looked back, clearly indecisive. “R-Run! Nathan you can make it! Mmhhh run!” Amber got back on her feet, their daughter heavy in her womb.
The coach yelled for him to run as well, knowing Nathan could make it. He had the biggest smile on his face as he made it to home base, completing the run and earning his team a point.
“That was very good, my British wife,” Amber grinned and kissed her wife’s cheek. “Good job sweetheart!” She yelled down to their boy who was beside himself with glee. Amber suddenly put her head down as a painful Braxton Hick took hold of her body. It felt like everything in her was forcing down, like her womb was a heavy ball of lead, waiting to be released. “Mhhhhhhhhh hhhhooooo. . .” Amber released quiet moans, “This is insane pressure, mmhhh I can’t believe you d-dealt with this for w-weeks love.”
With their son celebrating his run around the pitch with his teammates, Kathryn’s focus suddenly shifted to her wife. Amber was cradling her belly and exhaling as if she’d just climbed the stairs, brows furrowed and sweaty.
“Honey, you should be sitting down.” Kathryn ushered placing her hand on Amber’s lower back while the other held the front of her belly. It was firm. “All par for the course I’m afraid, love. I swear Nathan was wedged into my pelvis for at least a fortnight before he made his appearance.”
Her hands moved across the swell of her wife’s belly, feeling just how low and taut the dome was beneath that stretched cotton t-shirt. “She’s really burrowed down into position hasn’t she…” Kathryn said with a chuckle and lighthearted tone. “ What do you mean, they’re stronger than before? Have you had many since you got here?”
Amber shook her head, “Not too many but it feels like a heavy bowling ball is weighing me down.” She said, hands cradling her lower belly. “Mmhhhmmm… mmmhhh I can’t believe how low s-she feels.”
On the field, the teams had switched positions. Amber could make out their son standing in outfield wearing his trusty glove. She knew the game had a few more innings but she really wanted to go rest at home.
“Mmhhh one’s c-coming now. . .” Amber took a shaky breath and gripped her wife’s hand as another pain washed over her belly. “Mmhmhhh hhhoooo hhhhooo. . .” Amber breathed through it as quietly as she could. “Settle down in there sweet girl. It’s not time yet.”
Taking her wife’s hand and letting her squeeze it tight, Kathryn moved her other hand to rub up and down Amber’s back as she breathed her way through another cramp. “That’s it, nice and slow darling. Just breathe through it, practice that Lamaze breathing for when our daughter is on her way.” Kathryn said quietly to her wife, moving closer to be more of a physical support on these precarious metal benches.
Kathryn was finding it hard to juggle her attention, wanting to watch every moment of Nathan on that pitch but something was drawing her towards Amber. Her gorgeous wife was strong and resilient and never complained, until she got pregnant. But to be fair she had had a rough ride of it with terrible morning sickness and an aversion to some of her favourite foods. But she handled everything in her stride, it was one of the things she loved about Amber, how calm and collected she could be. Which was essential with a young excitable six year old and another on the way.
But as tough as Amber was, she was squeezing Kathryn’s hand rather tightly. Through her sunglasses Kathryn could see how much Amber was rocking and grimacing on the seat. “You’re doing great my lovely.” She tried to reassure her heavily pregnant partner, but was beginning to worry about how much Amber had pushed herself by coming here today.
Amber didn’t trust herself to answer Kathryn verbally so she nodded and gave tight smiles. “Mmhhh… hhhhooooo…” Amber took slow deep breaths, feeling the tightening getting worse. Was that supposed to happen with Braxton Hicks?
She was nervous to cause a scene during Nathan’s game, especially since it was his very first one. How embarrassed he’d be to have his mom go into labor here. But that couldn’t be, she’d felt achy this morning but that was it.
“Little cramping is normal, right love?” Amber leaned into her wife, speaking quietly so as not to alert any other parents or families near them. Kathryn’s eyes were focused on Nathan who stood with his glove in hand, ready to catch a fly ball. “Mmmhh it’s okay… it’s gotta be okay.” Amber muttered, not even sure if her wife heard her in all the excitement of their son’s game.
“Uh-huh…” Kathryn hummed a distracted acknowledgement, eyes focused on the pitch. “It’s all perfectly normal— You got this honey!!!” Kathryn cut herself off from reassuring her wife, instead shouting encouragement to their son as Nathan ran towards the ball, gloved hand raised in the air. He leaped, the ball colliding perfectly into his hand, and Kathryn jumped excitedly to her feet, clapping and cheering. “Yes Nathan!”
With focus only on the pitch below and her son who was beaming with pride, Kathryn didn’t notice her wife’s grimace of pain, or the way she clasped at her belly and held on to the bench beneath her bottom, panting as another tightening crashed through Amber’s womb.
Amber let out the softest groan as she felt the pressure in her pelvis become unbearable for a moment. She couldn’t believe how freakin’ heavy this baby felt. “Mmhhh g-go Nathan!” She gave a tight smile as pride filled her for their son. Amber wanted to enjoy the moment more but she was hit with another supposed Braxton Hicks.
“Hhhhhoooo hhhhooo…” Her hand rubbed circles along her big swollen belly. Amber took a few more sips of water, feeling her body flushed with heat. She knew she couldn’t stay up here much longer, her hips felt like they were coming apart from sitting on these darn bleachers.
Kathryn’s hands weren’t as magical as they were a few minutes ago. Amber couldn’t focus on them anymore, she could only focus on the pain and pressure she felt growing.
“Mmhhh… honey, I’m not s-sure how much longer I c-can sit like this… I’m sorry love.” Amber knew it was only the 6th inning, they had two more to go. “I h-have to stand…” Amber stood next to her wife, thankful that at least she wasn’t blocking anyone with them being seated in the back row. Amber swayed her hips back and forth, a low moan in her throat.
It was the sound coming from her wife’s mouth that made Kathryn turn. Amber was standing beside her, wide legged and cradling her belly while a low rumbling sound came out her mouth. She hadn’t fully noticed before but her wife’s cheeks were flushed, her bump somehow lower than this morning, and the sweat on her forehead glistened under the rays of sun beating down on the field.
“Honey-?” Kathryn’s eyes narrowed, worried, as she automatically put a supportive hand around Amber’s back while the other helped to cradle the weight hanging from her hips. “What’s wrong? Are you… are you having a contraction?”
The words stuttered from her mouth before her mind even entertained the thought. Amber wasn’t in labour, she wasn’t due for another few days and they were confident she’d go over. Surely the baby wasn’t ready. And yet Amber breathed so deeply, measured and controlled, but each exhale was accompanied with a husky moan which signalled the effort and pain her wife was obviously in.
Amber's eyes squeezed shut as the contraction slowly ended, leaving her womb to relax as much as it could at the moment. “Mmhhh I d-don’t know… all I know is this f-feels different…” Amber had been having Braxton Hicks for a couple of weeks and they never felt this intense.
Kathryn’s hands felt like a godsend, gently supporting the heavy lead weight of her middle. It made Amber feel like someone was trying to press a bowling ball down from her belly through her pelvis. She rotated her hips as much as she could as she stood next to Kathryn, trying to alleviate the growing ache.
The pair tried to keep their eyes on Nathan’s game but it was getting more and more difficult. Another pain hit Amber, not five minutes later, forcing her to breathe in through her nose. She didn’t want to alert any of the other parents or family members to their predicament. Amber's hand reached for her wife’s squeezing it as she rode out the wave of the contraction.
“Mmhhhhhh hhhhoooooo… oh y-yeah… I t-think she’s coming…” Amber said softly, “We h-have time though… Nathan took forever.” She said once the contraction passed. “We can’t miss this Kathryn.” Amber stressed, knowing a lot of their focus was about to shift to a newborn.
“Okay darling, everything’s okay.” Kathryn said softly as Amber squeezed her hand. “When this contraction is over, we’ll get you sitting back down. You need to rest as much as you can during this early stage. Plus I don’t like you standing up on the bleachers, especially in labour.”
Amber smiled, still breathing her way through the contraction but finding a way to express her amusement at Kathryn’s over-protectiveness. When the peak had passed and Amber visibly relaxed, Kathryn helped ease her wife down to sit on the bench seat.
“That’s it darling, nice and slow. I guess our daughter wasn’t happy about all the attention Nathan has been getting, wanting part of the action. Definitely no need to worry, you know how long I was in labour with Nathan. How long would you say these cramps have been feeling different?” Kathryn brushed a lock of hair behind Amber’s ear, her fingers gently caressing her cheek as they passed the side of her face. Her wife was stunningly beautiful, even going into labour.
Amber shamelessly leaned into her wife’s hand, Kathryn’s touch bringing comfort to her on the heated bleachers. “Mmhhh m-maybe a few hours…” She couldn’t pinpoint when exactly everything had felt so heavy. “Hooooo hooooo… I don’t want to take away from Nathan’s game, it’ll be okay.” Amber tried to reassure her wife as well as herself.
While it was sweet that Kathryn wanted Amber to rest on the seat, the weight in Amber's pelvis was making it almost impossible to do so. She shifted slightly, hoping it wasn’t too noticeable. She should be so lucky…
“When are you due?” A blonde woman asked and Amber recognized her as the mom of one of Nathan’s classmates. Amber tried her best to put on a smile, her hand moving to grip Kathryn’s as a pain began low in her tummy, working its way down her body.
“Mmhhhh just a few days…” The woman’s eyes widened like she was shocked Amber was even attending the game so late into her pregnancy. Amber was grateful when one of the boys made a hit and the woman stood to cheer loudly. “Mmhhhhh hooooo hooooo easy baby girl… easy.” Amber caressed her belly, feeling an insane amount of pressure building up. It’s not stopping… Oh God…
The pain peaked and Amber all but gritted her teeth when she felt a strange release, the front of her black leggings suddenly becoming drenched. Her eyes widened as she carefully glanced over at Kathryn, who thankfully hadn’t noticed. No one could see a thing but Amber knew her wife would make them leave if she knew.
Amber didn’t want to miss Nathan’s first game, it was important to him and a lot of the focus would soon be on the new baby anyway. She could wait, Kathryn’s labor was long even after her water broke. They had time, they definitely had time.
Kathryn was distracted by the game and the sudden cheering, looking up at all the young kids running around the pitch. One hand was being squeezed by her wife while the other moved comfortingly up and down Amber’s back.
“You’re doing great darling. Deep breaths remember, nice and slow.” Kathryn muttered quietly, just for her wife’s ears, but kept her vision on the pitch at Nathan who had chased after the ball but missed catching it by a few metres.
With Nathan no longer in the midst of the action down below, Kathryn turned to her wife, leaning in to kiss her cheek while she continued to massage the base of her spine. “You’re doing wonderfully Amber. Just keep breathing, in and out. Perfect.”
Amber shifted on the bench, clearly in the thick of another contraction, so Kathryn increased the pressure at the base of her wife’s spine. “That’s it, let it wash over you. Don’t panic, staying calm is the key. You helped me so much during my labour, I hope I can return the favour. Have I told you lately just how beautiful you are, carrying our baby girl?” She added with a soft purr in Amber’s ear, hoping the distraction might help with the pains.
There was sweat gathering all over Amber’s exposed skin, but it was already a warm day without being in labour, so Kathryn wasn’t worried. She had hoped that Amber might sail through early labour, her wife always had a high pain tolerance, but by the ragged breathing and constant shifting this early on she suspected this might be a lot harder than either of them wanted.
Amber was trying her best to relax, to enjoy the game and focus on her wife’s hands. However, their little girl had other plans for her. Each contraction got more and more intense, her labor was careening full force to the finish line. The weight of their daughter was settling lower and lower in Amber's hips. She’d read that could happen, heck she’d even listened to Kathryn complain about that feeling years ago. Experiencing it was very different.
“Mmhhhhh… mmmhmmm… thanks babe…” Amber took a few deep breaths as the latest contraction released her from its grips. Her thighs felt sticky in her leggings, her undies stuck to her aching vagina. Amber couldn’t believe this was happening, this was definitely not what the mothers had planned.
The next inning stretched on and before long there was only one left. It was Nathan’s last turn up to bat and Amber wanted to stand and cheer him on. She let her wife know so and gripped Kathryn’s hands to steady herself. Luckily everyone’s focus was on Nathan, including Kathryn, because Amber realized at that moment she had to push.
“Mmhhh hhhoo hhhhooo hhhoooo…” She breathed slow and steady, fighting back the incredible urge she felt to bear down into her bottom half. “G-Go Nathan! Y-you’ve got this b-buddy!” Amber tried her hardest to focus on their son but as he gave his first hit, Amber widened her stance a bit and gripped her wife’s shoulder. “Nnhhhhh…” She gave the slightest grunt as she pushed.
Kathryn automatically wrapped an arm around her wife’s waist, supporting her through what looked to be a tough contraction. Perhaps standing made everything feel a little stronger. “Easy babe, just breathe through it.” She encouraged, holding around Amber’s waist. She noticed how much her wife’s stance had widened, how low her bump hung heavily from Amber’s curved hips. It broke Kathryn’s heart that Amber was having to ride out contractions here at a baseball game. When she was pregnant with Nathan, because he was their first they didn’t have any other commitments or things to do. They just followed the natural course of childbirth as it ebbed and flowed through Kathryn’s body. But now, with their six year old making his debut on the pitch, her poor wife was labouring high up on the bleachers.
“You’re doing incredibly sweetie.” Kathryn tried to reassure, but Amber was making all sorts of low noises.
With one eye on the game, Nathan running around the bases while the other team scrambled for the ball, Kathryn moved her free hand to cradle the base of Amber’s belly. It was rock solid beneath her clothes. Amber was hissing slightly through her teeth as she panted through the contraction. “They’re getting stronger aren’t they?” Kathryn said quietly, knowingly. “Lean against me darling, squeeze my shoulders, dig your nails in if you have to. It’ll be over soon, I promise.” Kathryn hoped her words were true because this contraction seemed to be lasting forever.
Amber tried her best to listen to her wife, she tried to focus on the here and now, their son playing his favorite game. However, as contraction after contraction came, she realized she couldn’t focus on anything except pushing. She felt the urge in her bones, like a primal need for relief… release… something.
“Mmhhhh hhhooo hhhoooo…” Amber breathed through a contraction before it became so intense that she HAD to push. Her body was forcing their little girl down. “Nnnrggghhhh…” Amber gave the softest grunt, her hand gripping Kathryn’s shoulder tightly. The other hand cradled her large protruding belly as her knees bent slightly. “Mmhhhh…” Amber's face was flushed, her forehead sweaty as she bore down.
Her eyes widened when she felt the heavy weight of their infant’s head beginning to enter her birth canal. Amber was shocked she could be so in tune with her body even as the game and fans bursted with energy around her. “K-Kathryn….” Amber says but it was so loud in the bleachers as another exciting play was made on the field. Their son’s team was winning, Amber was happy but also wondering how much she could hold on before their daughter arrived.
Another contraction came, forcing Amber's legs to widen a fraction more as she pushed. “Nnnnrgggggghh… b-baby’s c-coming…” She moaned low so no one could hear, she’s not even sure if Kathryn heard. Even if her wife did hear her, Amber was sure she didn’t know how close the baby really was to coming out.
“I know darling, I know.” Kathryn soothed innocently, her eyes still on the game while she rubbed her labouring wife’s lowering back.
Nathan and his team were celebrating a recent success on the pitch, his face so bright and happy, jumping up on the balls of his feet in excitement. Kathryn watched proudly, completely unaware of what was progressing rapidly beside her. If Amber was in labour they would have a long day ahead of them, Nathan would be dropped off at a friends house this afternoon so the couple could focus on bringing their daughter into this world. But after the game, they didn’t want to pull Nathan off the pitch so close to the end.
It wasn’t until Amber suddenly grabbed harshly onto Kathryn’s body and emitted a rumblingly low grunting sound that Kathryn turned her head in worry. “Babe?” Her eyebrows furrowed as she saw the way her beautiful wife’s face was scrunched, cheeks flushed, and her breath held behind pursed closed lips. “Amber… baby… what’s happening, what are you feeling?” She blurted, hands moving to hold her wife steady as Amber’s knees softened into a sort of squat.
Amber felt her eyes widen when the heavy weight of their baby’s head continued its descent. She was losing the will to fight pushing, the urge becoming too unbearable. “Mmhhh nnrggghhhhh I’m p-pushing…” She breathed out, her knees deepened the squat she found herself in.
“What— pushing?” Kathryn stuttered, in shock.
“Mmhhhh nnrggghhhhhhhh…” Amber gave the softest grunt she could manage, her face bright red with strain, her forehead sweating in the beating sun. She wasn’t sure what the plan was, but she knew one thing… this baby wasn’t waiting!
The last inning finished up, the announcer declaring Nathan’s team the winners. Amber could only cheer silently in her head, the pain too unbearable to focus on anything but their daughter coming out.
Amber suddenly felt her vagina begin to burn, the opening stretching as her lips widened with the crowning head. “Her h-heads comingggggg… nnnghhhhhh it’s coming out Kathryn…” Amber’s hand moved to cup her opening, the leggings starting to bulge just slightly.
“Amber, sweetie, don’t push. Okay?” Kathryn’s mind felt like it had been paused while she watched her wife gasping and holding her breath with seemingly forceful pushes. “I know there’s a lot of pressure, but you can’t be pushing now. It’s too soon darling. Baby girl isn’t ready yet.”
Kathryn’s only experience of childbirth was her own, with Nathan, but everyone knew that first babies took ages to come. Amber hadn’t been in labour for very long and now she’s pushing?! No. That couldn’t be right. It was just the intense pressure making her wife think she had to push.
“We don’t know how dilated you are sweetie. Pushing too soon could hurt you and the baby. Please try not to push, okay?” She pleaded.
Kathryn looked around, wondering what the fuck they were going to do. Parents were making their way down the steps of the bleachers back to their children on the pitch. Amber was clearly further along in her labour than Kathryn expected, but that was okay, they would handle it. They’d just send Nathan home to a friend's house from here and Kathryn would take her wife home and they could deliver their daughter just like they planned.
“When this contraction is over, we’ll need to start moving down the steps. But hold on to me, I’ve got you darling. You’re doing amazing.”
Amber gave the slightest nod to her wife’s words as the contraction tore through her middle. Her heavy belly felt like it was made of lead, the baby forcing its way through her aching birth canal. “Mmhhhhh nnhhh hhhoooo hhhoooo…” Amber's face relaxed as the contraction finally passed.
“Mmhhh hhhoooo hhhoooo… Kathryn… I feel so bad, it’s his f-first game…” Tears welled up in Amber's eyes, she really did try to hold this baby in as long as she could.
Amber takes her wife’s hand and began slowly maneuvering the steps. They’ve only made it about halfway down when Amber stops, gripping her wife’s shoulder tightly. “Mmhhhh nnhhhhh g-gotta push…” Amber tries blowing the urge away, praying people weren’t watching. She was vaguely aware of Nathan chatting happily with his coach and teammates. “Mmhhh nnhhhh HOO HOO HOO!” Amber was trying her best not to push but damned if she didn’t feel the baby’s head beginning to bulge her underwear outwards. All she could do was stand there, a hand on her belly, the other on her wife’s shoulder. Her legs buckled a bit as they bent, accommodating her large laboring tummy.
Kathryn didn’t dare take her eyes off of her wife as they paused half way down the steps. Amber was red faced, sweating profusely, and gosh when did her legs get so far apart?
“Amber… baby… don’t push. Please don’t push darling.” Kathryn pleaded as she watched her partner pant through an intense contraction. The way she was standing, the way her wife was nearly squatting and moaning, it— it almost looked like she was about to deliver the baby right now. But that couldn’t be happening. She’d only just gone into labour. “Keep panting through the urges sweetie, you’ve got this. Damn… your labour has come on so suddenly eh? Well, hopefully this means you won’t be delivering our daughter as long as it took for me with Nathan.”
Kathryn’s lighthearted joke fell on deaf ears when Amber squeezed her shoulder and gave a distinct grunting sound of effort. An unmistakable push.
“Darling no… it’s too soon, the baby isn’t coming yet, I promise. It just feels like it is.” Kathryn tried to assure her wife who was looking more and more ragged by the second.
Amber felt like she was underwater listening to Kathryn. Everything was muffled, her body was telling her one thing while her wife told her another. “Mmhhhh mmhhhh t-trying… trying to hold her i-innnnn….” Amber moans low as another contraction takes over her womb.
“Mmhhhhhh hhhhooooo….” By sheer determination she holds off pushing, focusing on taking deep breaths in and out. The pair make their way down to the bottom of the bleachers and an excited Nathan.
“Mum! Mom! Did you guys see me?! I got a hit!” He bounced up and down as he beamed with pride. Amber pulled it together, masking her face and smiling brightly at their boy.
“I did sweetie! You were incredible.” Kathryn said to their son, giving him a high-five. She caught the eyes of one of Nathan’s friend’s parents and quickly, after checking Amber was okay, dashed off to have a word. With her wife in seemingly advanced labour, they needed Nathan to go back to his friend's house from here.
“I’m so proud of you buddy!” Amber carefully leans to kiss his head, feeling the twinges of another contraction coming on. “Mmhh why don’t you go to Ryan’s tonight and celebrate with your friend? We’ll make a nice breakfast for you in the morning!” She barely makes out the words before he’s hugging around her tense middle. “Mmhhh… go on love…”
Amber didn’t want to scare him with her laboring, she knew Kathryn would clear everything with Ryan’s parents and make sure the boys had a good time.
Amber feels more pressure, the infant's head beginning to part her lips slowly. “Mmhhhh nnnghhhhhhh… I can’t… I can’t wait to push anymore…” She mumbled as Kathryn returned, before trying to find a place to birth. Parents and kids were clearing out, leaving them one of the few people left on the field.
Kathryn’s hands were immediately wrapping around her wife, sliding behind her back with one hand and holding her arm with the other. “It’s all sorted darling, they’re gonna take Nathan back with them now and we’ll let them know once baby is born and when to bring him back home.” She was speaking fast, not registering Amber’s recent warning of needing to push.
“Can you walk? We need to get you back to the car and get home. I’ll call the midwife on the way, okay. Everything’s gonna be fine.” Kathryn kissed the side of her wife’s sweaty face. “I love you. We’re going to meet our daughter soon.”
Whether it was the adrenaline of Amber being in labour, Nathan’s winning, or the excitement they were about to have a baby - Kathryn was buzzing with energy. But all that energy made the walking to the car feel like they were moving in slow motion. Her poor wife was clinging to her with each step seeming like a Herculean effort. Amber’s hand never left her belly but it had moved to the very underside as if she was physically holding it up. And her stance, well that stance was certainly new. The waddle was more pronounced than she’d ever seen.
Amber was lifting her belly up with each step, the weight of their child pressing down further and further. “Mmhhhh b-barely…” The laboring woman had to focus immensely on putting one foot in front of the other.
Without Nathan there, Amber felt like she could be a little more vocal. She didn’t want to scare their son into thinking birth was this horrific thing. While it was absolutely painful, Amber felt powerful and beautiful. She did however wish their daughter had better timing.
“M-my water b-broke… mmhhhh mmhhhhh around the f-fourth inning… oohhhhhhh!” Amber admitted to her water breaking over an hour ago. The pressure was so intense that she had to stop and lean on Kathryn, her legs semi-squatting. “H-her head… nnnnrgghhhh it’s COMING OUT!”
Thankfully no one was around but as Amber pushed down, a slight rounded bulge formed in her leggings. The women couldn’t deny it any longer, their daughter was about to be born.
“You’re- what?! Amber! Why didn’t you tell me your water had broken?” Kathryn was struggling to process Amber’s confession, trying to keep her wife steady and simultaneously accept the very sudden change of events. But the way Amber was very clearly bearing down and— oh my god! Kathryn’s eyes widened like dinner plates when she glimpsed the bulge beginning to appear between her wife’s thighs.
“Mmmmhhh we’re not m-making it h-home…. Nnnnrgghhh Kathryn I’m not supposed to be h-having our baby hereeeee nnnrggghhhhh!” Ambers next contraction washed over her, forcing her body into another push. She couldn’t stop them even if she tried.
The poor woman stood wide legged, sweaty faced with a baby’s head crowning from her covered opening. Her belly looked like a sinking weight, she couldn’t do anything but push.
“Okay sweetie, okay…. I’ve got you.” Kathryn stuttered as she hooked her arms under each of Amber’s letting her safely squat down a little as she needed. “J-just erm… go with what your body is telling you.”
Facing each other with Amber’s belly prominently between them, Kathryn widened her stance to keep them both steady as Amber squatted with a grunting push. “That’s it darling, keep it going, big push for me.” Kathryn couldn’t help but be in awe of her incredible partner, the way she had laboured so effortlessly throughout the game, and now she was doing the impossible - delivering their child in the middle of the car park.
Amber made two loud pushes with the current contraction before she stood a little and slumped against Kathryn’s body. “You’re doing incredibly my love. Absolutely fucking amazing. And I’m really sorry to do this, but we have to try and keep moving okay… see if we can get you to the car at least. We don’t want our daughter delivered on the gravel.” She gently caressed her wife’s cheek, tucking a sweat-dampened lock of hair behind her ears. Kathryn gave her wife a kiss, tasting the salt of her sweat and tears on Amber’s lips. She moved a hand tenderly over her wife’s bump, moving lower between her thighs and she felt the protruding dome of their daughter’s head, starting to emerge.
“She’s not crowning yet, but she’s so close. We need to move quickly before the next contraction. Can you do that?” Kathryn asked softly but determinedly.
“Mmmhhhh hhooo hhooo,” Amber took a few deep breaths before answering her wife, “I c-can try… mmmmhh…” Her waddle looked ridiculous now, the baby’s head so close to crowning. Amber's vagina ached, her lips burning with the head stretching her. Her steps were awkward but she was thankful to have Kathryn supporting her.
After only making it twenty feet, about ten from the car, Amber stops and groans. “She’s… she’s c-comingggggg!” Amber's face was sweaty, her eyes leaking tears as she gives into her body’s urge and pushes for their daughter. “NNNRGGGHHH! She’s comingggg OUTTTT!” Amber desperately tries to put a hand over her leggings, wanting to keep the head in until they at least made it to the damn car.
“H-help me! Kathryn… mmhhhhh hold her in!!!” Amber's legs shake as she tries and fails to resist another push. “Nnnrggghhhh! C-can’t stop… nnnghhhhh pushinggggggg!” Her face goes bright red with effort, her heavy belly hard as a rock.
Even with Amber’s hand clutching at her own crotch, the bulge growing between her wife’s thighs was evident. Somehow in all the chaos Kathryn found her hand cupping where Amber’s had been moments before. Holding a baby back from coming wasn’t something her rational mind would choose, but the desperation in her wife’s cries made her act without thought.
“Hold on to me sweetie, it’s okay I’ve got her. She’s not gonna come out. So push if you need to babe.” Kathryn assured Amber, feeling her weight collapse against her shoulders as Amber squeezed and grunted and pushed.
Against her palm she felt the force of her wife's pushes, the head trying to breach the confines of her previous home and reach her mother’s. The dome of their daughter's head slipped further out and filled her hand completely even through the fabric of Amber’s clothes. “Oh… wow… little pushes if you can—” Kathryn tried to say but Amber only grunted a primal lowing sound of effort that prompted Kathryn’s hand to actually apply counterpressure against the urgent call of nature.
Amber's legs shook as the primal grunt she released echoed in the parking lot. “Nnnrggghhhhh! T-trying to h-holddddd her b-backkkkkk!” The contraction passes and Amber takes a deep breath, knowing she only has a small reprieve before the next one comes along. “C-car…”
Amber leans into Kathryn a bit more and the pair finally makes it to the car. Her movements are slow as she maneuvers herself into the passenger seat. She’s lowered her bottom in when she feels another contraction coming on.
“Ohhh ohhh god! Here she comes again… nnnrggghhhhhhhh!” Amber pulls her knees up around her belly, body facing her wife. She grunts and pushes against the tight confines of her undies and leggings. “Here she c-comesssss nnrggghhhhhh! NNRGGHHHHHHHH!” Amber roars, sweat dripping down her temples as the head comes completely out of her body.
“Oh my god!” Kathryn gasped.
Having helped her wife into the car Kathryn had no time to react before Amber was pushing again. It was so guttural and raw and instinctual, but inspiring to witness. Without either of their hands delaying the baby’s arrival the shape of Amber’s leggings distorted as the head bulged out and then burst free. Fluids coming through the seam as the head was born right into Amber’s clothes.
“Oh darling… I think that was the head.” Kathryn said with disbelief.
Amber's eyes rolled into the back of her head, a mixture of pain, relief and even pleasure coursing through her body. “Oohhhhhh! Oohhhhh god yes! Mmhhh her head is definitely out…” Amber pants heavily.
“Take a breath baby, catch your breath back. You're incredible, you know that?” Kathryn lowered down so she was hunched half in the car. She kissed Amber’s flushed cheeks and rubbed her upper arms affectionately.
Amber’s chest was heaving up and down as her panting levelled off, recovering in the short break between contractions.
“I’m gonna have to try and take these off okay sweetie?” Kathryn said, gesturing to the leggings that were damp and clinging to every inch of her wife’s lower half. “We needed to make space for baby girl to come out. Can you lift your butt a little for me and I’ll slide these down.”
Using her elbows to support her weight on the center console, Amber lifts her hips. She groans out as she feels their daughter’s head between her thighs.
“Mmhhhhh we’ve got you baby girl…” Amber’s fingers caress her big belly, “Mums got you… ohhhh love, a contraction’s coming… hhoooo hhhhhoooooo!” Amber feels the cool air on her legs as Kathryn removes the undies and leggings. The second they’re off, she squints her eyes shut and pushes. “NNNRGGGHHHHH!”
“Yes… big push for me darling.” Kathryn cheered her wife on as she sunk into another primal push. Kathryn kept her hands between Amber’s legs, supporting the head as the baby moved little by little, the shoulders trying to emerge. “Keep it going! Keep pushing right down…. She’s coming darling… our daughter is coming.”
One shoulder broke free beyond Amber’s thin and stretched lips causing her wife to jolt and shudder. Kathryn had to keep her elbows out to stop Amber’s legs from instinctively closing. “No… baby keep your knees apart, and keep bearing down with this contraction. I know it’s overwhelming but you can do this.”
“Mmmghhh she’s so… BIG! Nnnnrrrghhhhhh!” Amber's knees quiver as she struggled to keep them open. She tried to focus on her wife’s hands, helping her birth their second child.
“Mmhhhh nnnrrggghhhhhhhhh!” Amber's face is bright red, her eyes leaking tears, face sweaty and grimacing. Once the first shoulder popped out, Amber felt like she was pushing a bowling ball from her vagina. The pressure of the baby’s weight on her poor opening was torturous.
Her eyes widened as the contraction somehow rolled into the next, giving the exhausted momma no break. “Mmhhhhh nnnnnrgghhhhhhh come outtttt! Come OUT BABY GIRL!” Amber's voice raised in both pitch and volume as the second shoulder burst out of her opening with a gush of fluids.
“That’s it. The second shoulder is out! Well done my love.” Kathryn marveled as their newest family member slowly sliding into her hands. “One more push darling. One more and we’ll have our daughter.”
She looked up, seeing the flushed and sweaty and exhausted look on her wife’s face. Her wife who was sitting wide legged on the passenger seat, facing the open door, moments from delivering their first daughter. “You are incredible Amber baby, so fucking incredible and beautiful and powerful.” Kathryn rubbed the back of her hands, which were busy supporting the emerging baby, against the inside of her wife’s thighs in what she hoped would be affectionate and encouraging. “Just one more push for me, one big push and she’ll be here.”
Kathryn’s words wash over Amber, making her feel her wife’s love and encouragement. She’s been laboring for quite some time, then having to deny it and delay their daughter coming into the world. Now that moment was finally here.
“Mmmmhhh mmhhh,” Amber lets out a whimper but nods, starting to curl around her belly again. “Nnnrggghhhhhhhhhhh!” Their daughter’s arms come out one by one, her hips begin to slowly inch out of Amber's opening.
“That’s it! Keep it going sweetie!!!!” Kathryn excitedly said, her eyes wide and mouth already pulling into a bright smile as their daughter gradually emerged.
“Kathryn! Nnnrggghhhhhhhh here comes our baby!” Amber cries out, giving one final last push. The baby comes sliding out completely, right into Mum's hands.
“She’s out! You did it Amber!” Kathryn immediately brought the slippery newborn up over her wife’s belly to place their baby girl on Amber’s chest.
“Ohhhhh ohhh my god… oh she’s here,” Amber pants out, tears streaming down her face as she takes in their newest family member. “Hi baby girl… we did it Kathryn.” Amber grins at her wife, looking gorgeous but oh so exhausted.
“You did it darling. That was all you. You’re amazing, I love you.” Kathryn leant into the car and kissed her wife’s forehead, cheek, then lips. “I can’t believe you’d been in labour throughout that whole game. You’re just incredible. Nathan’s gonna be so excited to meet his baby sister.”
“I love you too…I couldn’t have done that without you.” Amber pants, smiling down at their new daughter. “Definitely an opening game to remember.”
