Page 90 (1/2)

Lilly

The third time I tiptoe down the hall, Mrs Wade follows "Can I peek too?" I nod reluctantly At least she’s getting the idea that ant to disturb the woman has found a successful routine, you don’t want to break it

In the dis her hair and htless eyes and takes a deep breath

"They’re getting stronger, Mama, but don’t worry"

"Okay, sweetheart I’ with me?" I ask e’re back in the kitchen

"Smell," the patient’s mother answers "She saysWill she need a birth bath?"

That takes me aback Then I remember Prudy’s wild labor and how I invented the "birth bath" just to get Mrs Wade, Priscilla Blum, and my nervous friend Becky out of the way Apparently, she now thinks a bath is the latest thing for women before they deliver

"Do they have a tub?"

"Just a little one Nothing like the Ott hoht not need it Prudy fully tense Lilly is loose as a goose, which is what you wantuntil pushing Then you hope the woman can bear down like she means it"

By the sounds in the bedroo one after the other "Can you boil the water? It lad to be put into action, and I slide back into the bedroom

"Oh, Patience, I don’t know if I can do this!" Lilly complains when she hears me approach "It hurts like the dickens!"

"It won’t be er If it helps, you can lean on the baby a little, nothing too forceful No holding your breath" I picture just a rie, between letting go and bearing down, it helps to give the patient so to do Any time now, I expect her voice will drop and ill know that the baby is co

Bitsy stands back and puts one ar a woman who’s comfortable with her body Each ti and she takes a few breaths, then holds on to her husband and rocks back and forth

"Should I get out of the way soon?" BK asks nervously "There’s a ship--"

"No, sir, Mr Bittman!" This is Lilly "I want you here You helped et his Bitsy catches my eye Noe know for sure that birth is iins to curse, she’s nearly ready

"It’s fine either way, BK," I reassure him "I’ve had several fathers stay for the delivery, and they were very helpful That’s one thing about giving birth at home In the hospital, the papa would never be allowed in the delivery room, they’d be afraid he’d faint, but here we can do ant If your being in the room will help Lilly, we don’t mind"

BK stares at the bottles of tincture and olive oil, the sterile packs of scissors and cord, the packages of rags we’ve laid out on the bureau and turns, overwhelmed, but before he can slip away another contraction co post