Becoming Rapunzel

Pt Four: Childbirth

"I will go find her!" Hans proclaimed, his eyes wide. He looked exactly like a man uncomfortable around childbirth, despite that he was married to someone who dealt with it for a living. He stood quickly, grabbed up his staff, and took off.

I watched him go, then went back inside. Ernst was still sitting, babbling away. I joined him, sitting on the hearth, and hoped that nothing would happen before Ilsa returned. Several contractions came and went, and although I winced, none of them made me feel as though my insides were ripping apart.

Ilsa finally arrived almost an hour later, with both Hans and Clara in tow. I was sweating a little, straining against the contractions as they came.

"It took you long enough!" I snapped, but Ilsa didn't seem to be offended. She calmly took off her cloak and laid it on the bed, then came to me. Hans stepped back outside in the winter air, and Clara sat beside me on the hearth.

Ilsa rubbed her hands together, trying to make them warmer. "You know what I need to do now," she told me with a wry smile.

Grumbling, I stood, went to the bed and laid down, then pulled my kirtle and shift up to expose myself. I spread my legs apart and my knees up. "Those fingers better be warm," I said.

Ilsa just nodded and took her place between my legs. She inserted two fingers as far as she could, and I felt her knock against the opening to my womb. The added pressure made me wince and clench my muscles. She proceeded to feel around, and I was almost read to reach down and pull her hand out myself when she removed her fingers, satisfied. She then took a rag and wipe her hand and my bottom clean of mucus and blood.

"Well, it seems like you are in labor!" she exclaimed. "A little earlier than I had hoped, but I'm sure everything will be fine."

Clara moved from the hearth to crouch beside my bed near my head. "How far along?"

Ilsa shrugged. "This is still the first stage. I would guess at least several more hours."

"What?" I exclaimed. "I'm getting tired!"

Clara grinned at me, the gap between her teeth showing. "Just you wait, Rapunzel. The fun hasn't even started yet."

I groaned. "Can I sit up?"

Ilsa nodded. "Aye, you can walk around and do almost anything you like."

"Will pacing make the child come faster?" I asked.

"Probably," she answered.

I sat quickly, braced for another contraction, and closed my eyes until it passed.

"Are you fighting the contraction?" Ilsa questioned when it was over.

I opened my eyes. "Maybe."

She shook her head. "Work with the contraction. Let it go. It will be less painful that way, and it will help you along."

I sighed. There were so many rules that I wasn't aware of. Now that I thought about it, maybe pushing off Ilsa's suggestions the past few sennights hadn't been a good idea after all.

Clara helped hoist me up, and she held my hand as we paced around the cottage. We did it for two hours. Ilsa was busy getting supper ready and making sure she had all the necessary herbs and utensils for the birth. When we began walking Ilsa had pulled a fresh candle from the mantle, and put it in a candlestick. She took ink from a jar on her healing shelf and marked the candle at several points, all equally spaced apart. "This helps to tell the time," she told us. "I will light it when the sun sets, so we can have a better idea of how long the labor is taking when it grows day."