Difficult Delivery (1/2)

Writers: Emma, Paula
Date Posted: 16th February 2016

Characters: Marcina, Miranek, Lycina
Description: Marcina gives birth and master Miranek's help is needed.
Location: Emerald Falls Hold
Date: month 3, day 3 of Turn 8

Marcina just wanted to scream. It took so long! Of course she had heard
stories, of how much it hurt and how long it could last. But it was whole
another thing to experience it first hand than listen other women talk
about. Her baby just didn't seem to want to be born. Her pregnancy had
passed beyond it's due date and she had been forced to resort to all the
traditional ways to start the labour: heavy cleaning (which she hated), sex
(which was fun except that she had enourmous belly, making it awkward) and
certain foods. At least she had been able to convince her family so that she
could stay in Emerald Falls Hold for the last leg of her pregnancy. The main
hold had better infirmary and better healers like Master Miranek. Her
husband had long since fled the scene (that coward), leaving her with her
mother. Lycina had acted as a midwife as well as being a herbalist, so
naturally she was there when Marcina's time finally came. If only it didn't
take so long!

"I want it out!"

"Don't scream, my dear, it just directs your energy to wrong direction,"
Lycina said and dapped Marcina's forehead with wet rag.

"I need you to breathe slowly and deeply," Miranek said as he came into the
delivery room, wiping his freshly cleaned hands. "If you'll give me a
moment, I'm just going to examine you, and see how exactly far along you
are, and how baby is doing." The unspoken words were whether he would need
to intervene surgically or not. The girl was young, and seemed fit enough,
but sometimes babies had their own ideas.

"Master Miranek, I'm pleased to see you," Lycina smiled at him with relief.

Quickly, yet carefully Miranek carried out his examination. The baby seemed
okay for the moment, just that labour was taking a long time, and perhaps
not progressing as well as he'd like.

"How long has it been since labour started?" he asked.

"Her water broke before dawn, so it's been almost six candlemarks," Lycina
reported.

"I want it out!" Marcina cried again between pants of pain.

"Well, there are two options as I see it," explained Miranek. "One, we can
wait, and see if nature takes it's course, or we can look at a surgical
delivery." There were risks with both, if they waited, it might lead to an
emergency delivery, if they both seemed to be getting into trouble, that
carried more risk than just doing it now.

Well, that quieted Marcina. The though of her getting cut open to get the
baby out was scary.

"It's up to you what you prefer,"Miranek said gently. "I'm sure the healers
you've seen at home, will have talked to you about how things should
happen."

"I don't want be cut open," Marcina said. Frankly, the whole thought scared
her.

"Well, we'll just hope that baby will decide they want to meet us very
soon," Miranek said, hoping he sounded reassuring.

"Six candlemarks isn't that long for the first birth," Lycina said
encouragingly. "Your brother took two days to get born. The contractions
just stopped for the night."

That was not what Marcina wanted to hear and she glared at her mother.

"Perhaps we should give it one more candlemark, and if there's nothing
happening, then we'll reassess." The young girl's mother wasn't wrong when
she said six candlemarks wasn't long, but equally, some were very quick.

"Alright," Marcina said.

~*~ Skipping ahead in time ~*~ continues in part 2 ~*~

Last updated on the February 21st 2016

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Difficult Delivery (1/2)