Christmas with Her Ex(45)

‘Latent phase of labour is unpredictable,’ he explained for the third time in a quiet voice. ‘It’s much more difficult to look at this slow start as a natural progression, especially when you have gone through so many medical procedures to finally get to this stage.’

He crouched down beside Connie and looked into her frightened eyes. ‘It is normal, though.’ He didn’t say it could go on like this for days.

Connie smiled damply. ‘I know. They told us in prenatal classes. And again when we arrived here this morning. But I guess I needed to hear it from you. Thank you for coming. I do appreciate it.’

She shrugged. ‘Maybe I don’t have the faith in my body that I should have but it has let me down. We couldn’t fall pregnant without help and I just worry I won’t be able to give birth to our baby without help.’

He understood that. Wished he could do more. ‘That’s perfectly understandable but I believe in your body’s ability to do this. And you can take comfort that it’s a very common mindset from parents who have gone through assisted reproduction, like you have.’

She sighed. ‘And you have kept telling me I’m not sick or a patient.’

Connor looked at the worried father. ‘That’s because everything is normal. The baby’s monitoring has shown lots of reserves yet, but as her mum you need a good sleep.’

At least Connie was listening but he could feel the tension vibrating from Harry and he’d bet Kelsie would say it wasn’t helping Connie’s body to relax when they all knew her husband was desperately impatient to see their baby and his wife safely at the end of this pregnancy from hell.

‘Exactly!’ Harry pounced on the opportunity to have input. ‘She needs sleep. So let’s do something about it. Can’t we finish this business with a Caesarean?’ Connor could see the anxiety he was feeling because of the cumulative stresses of many miscarriages—and here they were so close to having all their dreams come true.

And he was probably on the defensive for his wife whom he couldn’t help, either physically by taking her pains or with his usual mental ability to solve problems. For a man used to running his multinational business and dealing with problems immediately, he looked like he was having a hard time being utterly powerless for once.

Connor could sympathise but he wasn’t going to rush into a Caesarean just because Connie had prolonged early labour. This was his business and it was his job to make unemotional, yet correct decisions.

He didn’t believe in unnecessary Caesareans because there were risks in every operation and these pregnancies were so hard to come by that statistically he dealt in choosing the lesser risk. Normal birth was much less risky for mother and baby.

Connor ran his hands through his hair, unsure how to help until unexpectedly the image of Kelsie, serene and confident, on the train came to him. He looked up and caught both the worried parents’ attention with his sudden smile.

Maybe it was time for a little midwifery magic. He just wished she was there to do it for him but he’d try his best.

‘I believe Connie can and will do this by herself. When your baby is ready. You’re doing amazingly well.’ Connor recited Kelsie’s words and the calm and positive way she’d said them. ‘Both of you. Your baby is very determined, just like her dad and mum, but we have to wait for the labour to establish itself properly.’ He pulled up a chair and sat down.

‘Let me tell you a great story about what happened on the way over in the train.’

Connie’s eyes grew wider as Connor explained about Anna’s baby’s decision to arrive between countries, in a train and feet first, and as he concluded his tale with how he’d seen them that morning before Paris and how well they’d both looked, Connie sighed back into the bed. He saw her search out her husband’s eyes and nod.

‘Maybe I could have one of those sleeping tablets we keep refusing and just have a rest. Wait for it to happen instead of being so determined it has to happen this minute. I do want a birth like that.’

Connor stood up. ‘I want you to have a birth like that too.’

He smiled, could feel the tension dissipate in the room as they finally accepted a delay in their expectations. ‘I can’t promise you a train carriage but I can promise you a couple of hours’ sleep.

‘The good news is that a large percentage of women do wake up in labour after a sedation at this point. So hopefully you’ll be one of them.’

He looked at Harry. ‘They have a desk you can use for work if you don’t want to leave the building, but I do think you should leave Connie to rest when she gets the sedation. She could text you when she wakes up.’