Okay, here goes nothing, Toren Len thought as he entered the large conference room where the childbirth class was being held. He'd been called in at the last minute as a replacement for the usual instructor, a certified midwife from the colony who'd been called away by a family emergency.
So, with less than twelve hours' preparation, Len sallied forth to teach a subject in which he'd had only cursory training--and no practical experience. Awaiting him were five new families--at least, five women and five men. Not necessarily five couples, however.
Tara, Jayson, and Ryan sat together on the floor mat between a Bajoran couple and a single human woman. Uhhh...okay. Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations, he reminded himself.
"Okay, class, shall we begin?"
"Good afternoon, class, my name is Toren Len, and I'm with the Starfleet Medical Auxilliary. I regret that Ms. Mackie was unable to come to this class, but it seems she has a baby to deliver," Len said. The class laughed. "Before we begin, why don't we introduce ourselves and get to know one another? As an icebreaker, tell us how far along you are and when you're due." Okay, that went better than I thought.
The first couple were Betazoids. "Ludanna and Tirion Rhys," the mother-to-be said. "We're in our seventh month. The doctor says we're due in about two weeks. I can already sense my baby telepathically!" she said as her consort smiled at her.
"Enrique and Rosa Jimenez," the man in the second couple announced. "She's right at the end--any day now!"
"Doran Sela and Vark," the Bajoran lady sitting next to Tara, Jayson, and Ryan said. "Eleven months as of today."
Tara smiled as she looked at Toren. "Tara Carmichael and..." she paused for a moment as she looked at Jayson as if unsure for a brief moment, "Jayson Sandoval. Our daughter is due within the week, so I'm told." Her green eyes sparkled as she gently rubbed her abdomen.
Ryan felt a stab of discomfort, and wasn't quite sure how to respond. Toren, fortunately, sensed that and moved on.
"Uh... Hi..." the brown-haired girl at the end began nervously. "My name's Miranda MacKinnon and... Well, my baby is due in the next couple of weeks..." Her soft lavender eyes roamed the crowd before she averted her eyes to the floor and then back to Toren Len.
Ryan immediately moved next to Miranda. "I'm Ryan Macleod, and I'm with Melinda. I was just spending a moment or two with my cousin Tara." Miranda looked over at Ryan with astonishment. Toren Len shrugged.
"Okay, there are a few things that you'll all find in common despite the fact that we have three different species represented here. All mammalian sentient beings will experience labor pains and contractions. If you've never had children before, you may not want to after this." The class laughed.
Toren Len went into all the mechanics of labor, its function and what the soon-to-be mothers might feel as each stage of labor hit. Tara, glanced over at Ryan and was pleasantly surprised to see him with Melinda. She didn't know why, but she had a feeling this was going to be the start of something life changing for him.
"Now, as your body gets ready for labor, it will put you through what's called Braxton-Hicks Contractions. These are not the beginnings of labor. They are only to get you ready for it... But they can sometimes feel just as strong. Have any of you experienced your abdomen tighten then relax?"
The ladies Rhys, Jimenez, and Doran nodded. "Perfectly normal," Toren explained. "This is your body preparing for the strain of childbirth."
"Are there any things that are of particular concern to any of you that you would like to ask? That's what this class is all about!" Len smiled. "Information and being prepared."
Miranda spoke up. "When the water breaks, how long do I have to get help?"
"You should go to sickbay immediately," he replied. "Though its a small risk, there is a risk of infection settling in once the bag of waters has ruptured which is not good for mother or child. If you do not go into labor on your own within 24 hours we'll induce you there," he explained calmly. "But usually, labor starts on its own shortly after the water breaks, if that happens first. One other thing I should tell you is that no labor is the same... What happened to a friend of yours may not happen to you. Each person experiences the birth process differently. It's not a set recipe," he smirked.
"So what would be the likihood of something going wrong during delivery?" Tara asked. "Do you still encounter umbilicords around the neck? Prolapsed cords and breech deliveries?" Her green eyes were filled with concern. She could feel Jayson move closer to her, as if sensing her worries.
"I see someone has been doing a lot of reading!" he smirked as he looked at her. "Well, nature still has control. We just have better ways of dealing with it. When we scan and see what's happening with the baby we have measures we can take to prevent bad circumstances from getting worse and usually end up with a wonderful outcome - a healthy baby."
Tara took a deep breath in and seemed satified with the answer as she smiled softly.
"And if nothing else, we can use the transporter to beam the baby from your womb. It's a technique we try to avoid, but it is much better than the old-fashioned Caesarian section you may have read about."
"Why can't you just beam the baby out now and get it over with?" Rosa asked. The class laughed.
"Because then you'd miss out on this beautiful experience!" Toren joked. "Seriously, it's not foolproof, and we only do that in extreme emergencies."
"Now, I'm sure everyone has gone over how the baby developed and since you all are toward the ends of your pregnancies, I think what we'll go is go to the breathing exercises," Toren Len said.
He walked to the wall just behind him and placed a very bright and alluring picture. A person couldn't help but look at it.
"Now, first I want everyone to practice short breaths for a moment." he observed as everyone did. "Okay... Now lets try a couple of rhythms." Once those were tried, he smiled. "Okay, now we're ready for the test to show you just how much concentration and focus can cut down on pain... Women, I want you to hold your arm out to your partner. Then I want you to start doing a short breath rhythm... It can be anything... Your ID number, your birthdate... whatever... But you have to be able to concentrate and repeat it. On top of that, I want you to stare at this picture behind me. Now, guys, when you think they are doing that, I want you to squeeze on the tender underside of their upper arms. And I want you to do it hard. Stop if they say to, but let's see just how much pressure they can take... Ready? Go..."
Tara was very focused and hardly noticed the pressure Jayson applied to her at all.
Miranda tentatively gave her arm to Ryan, who applied pressure as Miranda focused on the picture. "I'm going to kill that bastard," she kept saying to herself.
"Relax! You're way too tense!" Ryan replied.
She nodded as she gazed at him. Trying to calm down a bit, she took a deep cleansing breath and then tried to focus on the picture as she breathed in rhythm. She still wasn't sure she could do this, she thought, but soon she wasn't thinking about anything other than the rhythm of the breaths she had to take. Though she felt Ryan pinch her arm there was no pain, just pressure.
Tara momentarily lost her concentration as she became distracted by the psychic wave of Miranda's anger. Suddenly she felt Jayson's grip. "Ow!" she exclaimed.
"Maintain your focus," Toren Len admonished. Quickly, Tara began focusing on the elaborate chant the Bajoran couple was engaged in. She wasn't sure what it meant, but her surface readings of the couple indicated that they weren't at all offended. In fact, they were flattered that she would choose to join their rite.
After a few more minutes, Toren Len ended the exercise. The women were astounded to feel how sore their arms were and yet they hadn't really felt anything while they were focused. This caused quite a conversation within the group at how well the technique worked. Toren Len just smiled.
"Keep in mind that this may not abate all of the pain you feel, and that absolute concentration is necessary," he admonished. "If you need anesthetic, don't be afraid to ask! Now, our next session is next week, assuming all of us can hold out that long," he said with a wink to the two ladies who were due in the very near future. To wrap up this week's class, we have a short presentation for you depicting actual labor and childbirth in a human couple. For the non-humans in the audience, I can assure you that the process is almost identical in all important aspects." With that, the lights dimmed, and the presentation began.
All the couples watched in fascination as labor progressed with four different women and how they each accomplished the deliveries and ended up with beautiful, healthy babies. One woman had a normal birth in every way. She used some anesthetic. Another woman went natural without any pain medication and used her breathing only. Toren Len could see some of the couples cringing at the pain the woman was going through. The third woman was unable to deliver vaginally due to complications and a caesarian was performed and the last was an emergency transport of the baby. All were done successfully. But just as the presentation was going to wrap up, there was the sound of gasps from the couples. Immediately, Toren Len turned back on the lights.
"Thanks for helping me through this," Miranda told Ryan. "I don't know how I could have gotten through this without you! God, I can't believe how foolish I was!"
"If you want to talk, my time is open," Ryan said. And it was just talk he meant. After all, the woman was very obviously not available, even if her partner didn't have the grace to attend the class with her.
"!Ay me digas!" Rosa shouted as she doubled over. A rapidly-growing puddle of fluid appeared at her feet beneath her maternity gown. Toren Len rushed to her side with a tricorder.
"Your water just broke, we need to get you to sickbay," he said, when suddenly he saw Tara bend over slightly in pain. "Tara, are you all right?"
"I'm not sure? I've had those practice contractions before, but these are quite strong..." she said, as concern went into her eyes.
Toren Len took no chances. "Class dismissed, everyone," he said as he hit his combadge. "Toren to Sickbay--emergency transport for two pregnant humans!" Immediately Tara and Rosa vanished, to reappear on biobeds in Sickbay.
"I should get going," Ryan told Miranda. "Jayson--wait up! I'll join you!"
As Jayson and Ryan reached sickbay, they saw both women on biobeds being evaluated. Tara was still in a great deal of pain, but Rosa, the other woman, her husband by her side (he had made it to sickbay moments before they had) was definitely in active labor. Toren Len was doing his bed to keep the woman calm. For some reason her labor had progressed very quickly. He found out that she had three other children. He checked her and discovered that she was 7 centimeters. She had three to go, but at the rate she was going it was going to be anytime. She administers something to take the edge off the pain, and then went to Tara. As he scanned her he smiled. "It doesn't look like its your turn just yet."
"That's the breaks, I suppose," Tara smiled back as she felt another strong "practice" contraction.
"Just rest here for a little while. See if they don't stop on their own. If they don't, I might want to check you again," he explained.
"All right," Tara replied.
"False alarm," Ryan said. "Listen, Jayson--if it happens for real, be sure to let me know. Whatever I'm doing, I want to be there for Zoe's birth."
"Absolutely," Jayson nodded. "You will be the first to know. I'll make sure she gets home all right."
While they waited for Tara to be cleared by Sickbay, Rosa's labor continued to progress. "The contractions--they're getting closer!" she yelled. With Enrique taking one arm and a nurse taking the other, she bore down. "The baby's crowning!" Toren Len announced. "It won't be long now!" And indeed it wasn't. Within three minutes Jose Trujillo y Jimenez entered the universe--a big, four-kilo baby boy with a full head of thick black hair and eyes that seemed alert almost immediately. Enrique crossed himself as the nurse washed the baby. "My son--he's so beautiful!"
"He's a wonderful little guy," Toren Len said, the man's pride obvious to all in the room. "Your first son?"
"Yes--the last three were all girls. I love them all, but this boy is my son!" Enrique said, smiling as the baby was presented to Rosa. Tara looked over, a big smile on her face as well. She could sense Rosa's exhaustion, Enrique's happiness, and Toren Len's feeling of having lost control completely--this despite the fact that he'd handled the situation entirely professionally.
"Its hard to believe that's going to be us soon," Tara said quietly to Jayson, partially in awe and a little in apprehension.
"Especially hard for me!" he replied. "Until a few weeks ago I wasn't even involved with anyone, much less an expectant father!"
"I know..." Tara replied regretfully, looking away for a moment as tears misted her eyes.
Ryan saw this as a good time to leave Sickbay. Though he had reconciled himself to Jayson's role in Tara's life, moments like these were still very difficult.
"I understand..." Tara replied. Even Ron had had doubts about fatherhood, and in this situation this had been thrust upon Jayson. Though she had been willing to let him go on his way, he had been the one to want to be a part of this. Many emotions ran through her. Part of her mind wanted to tug her back to the past, but she didn't want to go there. Tears misted her eyes as she treid to reign in her tumultuous emotions.
"I said I'd be here for you, and I will be. I'm not sure what I'm going to be doing, but I'll be here for you."
Gently he caressed her faced. Tenderly she took his hand. "I'm sure we can handle anything if we do it together," she said, her watery green eyes gazed at him softly.
"You're absolutely right," Jayson said as he turned from Tara to see Rosa and newborn Jose sleeping quietly on the next biobed. "Maybe it won't be as bad as all that."
"Maybe it will only be a new beginning of a new chapter in our lives..." Tara added. As she felt Zoe start squirming around, she guided Jayson's hand to her stomach so he could feel her.
Jayson smiled as he felt Zoe squirm in the womb. "More like a whole new book," he said with a smile.
"Yes..." Tara replied.
Jayson and Tara's eyes were only inches apart. He leaned over just a little further and kissed her gently. As he pulled away, they gazed at each other and smiled.