I never planned on being present for Kahlan’s birth.
Kolena and I had decided, a couple weeks earlier, that if she went into labor while her husband was in school, I would take her to the hospital and stick with her until her husband was able to get there. So one afternoon at work, when she said it was time, I did exactly that. I accompanied her as she checked into the hospital and we made ourselves comfortable in triage until a room was available, since every other woman in town had decided to go into labor that day, too.
Kolena wanted to walk around, so we did laps around the maternity ward. I lost count of how many times we walked up and down those hallways, peeking in the nursery window at the adorable newborns, admiring the artwork on the walls, talking about anything and everything. Kolena was so calm and upbeat, it didn’t seem to me like she was really in labor.
Hours passed this way, and as it came time for Kolena’s husband to get out of class, it started to look like he may not be able to stay, after all. Would I be willing to stay, if Brian had to get home? Kolena asked me. I hadn’t thought about it before, but the thought of witnessing my niece’s birth was an exciting one. So I called my husband, got his blessing, and told Kolena I was at her disposal for however long she needed me.
Around the same time Kolena’s husband arrived, she finally got a delivery room and made herself comfortable in the huge bathtub. Her husband did homework, I ate dinner, all was peaceful. After Brian left, I sat in the bathroom and talked to Kolena, and she said her contractions were getting stronger and asked if I would pour water over her back and recite her mantra: “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” After several minutes of that, Kolena suddenly announced that her water had broken. I dashed out of the room to find the nurse or Kate the midwife, but neither of them were anywhere nearby so another nurse came with me instead.
We entered the room to find Kolena out of the tub, pacing the room and exclaiming that she couldn’t do this anymore. Definitely transition. So it wasn’t hard to encourage her that yes, she could do this, because she was almost done!
The minute Kolena said she needed to push, the nurse ran out of the room to grab a doctor (Kate was delivering someone else’s baby). I got Kolena to lie down in the bed, and the doctor arrived what seemed like an eternity later. As he was setting up his instruments, taking his time, the nurse told him, “Um, she’s crowning.” A glimpse of Kahlan’s dark head filled me with adrenaline and I squeezed Kolena’s hand. “I see her head!” I told her. “She’s almost here!” The doctor asked me to hold Kolena’s leg to the side to give the baby plenty of room to come out. I guess I held a little hard because the next day Kolena told me she had bruises on that leg. Sorry, Kolena.
After what seemed like no time at all, Kolena pushed one last time and Kahlan slipped out into the world. The doctor barely had time to catch her. Tears stung my eyes. I had never been on this side of childbirth, and it was absolutely amazing. Kahlan was a beautiful, healthy 9 lbs, 3 ounces, with a sweet little scrunched up face.
As the nurse gathered Kahlan into her arms and I congratulated a very exhausted, very relieved Kolena, the doctor held a pair of scissors out toward me and asked, “Do you want to cut the cord?” At first I said no, but he insisted that I couldn’t mess up, just as long as I cut between the clamps. So I did. And it was awesome. I had thought I might be grossed out watching my sister give birth, but not at all. I was just filled with awe at what a painful, messy, gooey, beautiful miracle childbirth is.
It was eleven o’clock at night when the nurse got Kahlan all bundled up and handed her to me while she looked after Kolena. I was tired and ready to see my family, but I didn’t totally want to leave. I was so proud of my sister, so grateful she let me be a part of her little miracle, so strung out on a happy little high that I wouldn’t fall asleep for hours after I got home, as if I was the one who had just given birth.
Thank you, again, Kolena, for letting me share in Kahlan’s birth. You are an inspiration to me.
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