Everything Has Changed

Labour Day

April 18th 2025
New York City, New York

"Umm Tay, is that what I thought it just was?" Travis asked, eyes wide looking down at his now soaked trouser legs and the small puddle of fluid now collecting in a pool at Taylor's feet, continuing to dribble out from between her legs. 

"Uh, yeah. Trav, I think my water just broke!" Taylor stuttered, staggering back from Travis' embrace to stare down at the floor. "I'm so sorry Trav, I think I have ruined your trousers. I'll um"

"Tay!"

"Wait there, I will just go get a cloth and clean this up." Taylor said deliriously as she waddled off towards the kitchen. Travis slapped his palm against his face, wondering that if this is what she is like sober with no pain medications, what would she be like later down the line if she has to have an epidural or any pain meds. He quickly shook the thought out of his mind when he saw Taylor coming back into the room, cloth in hand. She was clearly very serious about her domestic labour whilst being in active labour herself.

"Taylor don't be silly, give me that." Travis said, crouching to the ground and taking the old towel they kept for bathing the dog after taking him out for a walk or when he decided to go for a rather muddy roll around and play in the garden. he started to quickly wipe up the worst of the fluid on the floor, observing closely as Taylor hunched over, gripping the sides of the crib with her hands. She was very clearly in pain. He came over to rub her back through it, hugging her against him when she loosened her grip on the crib, the contraction clearly subsiding.

"Tay, we really need to think about getting to the hospital."

"What NO. No hospitals, not yet." The fear was apparent in her voice and the pain was obviously swaying her normally fairly good judgement. 

"Yes hospitals. Tay babe, that contraction was 4 minutes 58 seconds after your last one. Your water has broken, you are now in active labour and as much I love this house, I would like to think we have christened it enough over the past almost two years with our various activities without you birthing our baby girl here too. Plus as much as I like to be cocky, even I will admit I cannot birth a baby."

Travis readied himself, grabbing supplies that they would need including Taylor's pregnancy pillow, her toiletries bag with her favourite soaps and moisturisers and their phones which were still on their respective nightstands beside the bed in the master bedroom. Her hospital bag had already been packed, sitting ready and waiting at the front door for weeks. That was one of the only good things to come out of Taylor going almost two weeks overdue: it had given them an expert amount of time to prepare for their daughter's arrival. However at that point in time, no matter how overdue Taylor could go, they would never truly feel ready. But that was surely a universal feeling for all new parents?

"Tay, you ready to go?" Travis called as he came back down the hallway and down the stairs to the entrance way where he had expected Taylor to be waiting for him. But she wasn't. "Tay?" He shouted, coming back up the stairs, finding her exactly where he left her. Stood still in the nursery, frozen in place and concentration as another contraction coursed through her veins. 

"Oh babe." He sighed, dropping the bag he had on his shoulder onto the floor and coming over to hug her into his side. 

"I am scared Trav. So so scared." Taylor cried into him, sniffling between breathes as the contraction subsided. 

"What are you scared about?" Travis asked gently, not gaslighting her or belittling her fears. To be frank, he was scared as well. Scared of how he was going to look after another tiny life when there were some days that he could not even look after himself properly. He was going to most likely not warm up her bottles correctly and put on onesies back to front and it was terrifying that in a mere few hours, there would be a whole new human life depending on them for the rest of their lives. But it was also exciting. But because Travis was not going to have to go through the actual child birth himself, he could understand why Taylor was so scared. Whilst her antenatal classes and hypnobirthing course had been successful and informative, she couldn't lie and not say that it had scared her slightly. Knowing how much hard work and pain it was going to take to birth their daughter, but also all of the things that could or may go wrong in the process.