Dr. Winters was waiting for us when we arrived, leading Dane to a room down the long hallway. The pain was excruciating. I had heard how painful labor was, but I never imagined it could be this bad. I felt like I couldn’t breathe every time a contraction started.
Dr. Winters began examining me as soon as Dane had laid me down on the bed. “It’s time,” he looked up at me, “when the next contraction starts, I need you to take a deep breath and push as hard as you can.” With the next contraction, I started pushing, squeezing Dane’s hand as I screamed. I wasn’t sure how long I had been pushing but it felt like hours, and I was exhausted. The pain was almost unbearable. “I can’t do this anymore,” I looked at Dane. He brushed the hair from my face before placing a kiss on my forehead, “You can
