Spaghetti and Meatballs
This birth amazed and inspired me by the power of this woman’s internal strength to move labor along with such intuitive efficiency and animalistic determination. Lauren patiently waited for her body to catch up to her mind, and once it did, she utilized each and every contraction to its fullest potential. I have to admit, I had doubt when Lauren told me her contraction pain level was at a 10 only about a half hour after contractions started. I thought for sure, if she is already at a 10, she was going to utter her code words for an epidural, “Spaghetti and Meatballs” at some point during her labor. I doubted her when she told me she could feel the baby’s head and was ready to push only after about an hour after she started hard labor. I doubted her when she said that she wanted to get into her birthing position, when the last time she was checked she was only 6 cm. However, I stopped doubting her when I saw the look in the midwife’s face when she checked her the last time and assembled her delivery robe. I stopped doubting when I peaked to see the black hair pushing through with each contraction Lauren had, after only 2.5 hours into hard labor. I stopped doubting that it was possible that less than 3 hours ago this women was chatting and laughing, in envy of the woman’s yelping groans and animalistic noises piercing through the walls of the hospital, and now Lauren was that woman. She released her animalistic power, and let everything go with each contraction. And I learned that it is possible to birth a baby in less than 3 hours of hard labor. I learned that as hard as labor is, Lauren made it look possible for any woman. I learned that it the birthing Mama ALWAYS knows exactly what is going on inside her body, and we should NEVER doubt a Mama’s intuition. After Lauren delivered her baby, her husband, Jeff, looked at her and whispered just loud enough for me to hear, “You’re kind of a badass.” I couldn’t help, but retaliate to Jeff, “that’s an understatement,” for not even once in Lauren’s short, but intense labor did she utter the words, “Spaghetti and Meatballs.”