9
AUDREY
“That’s it, I can see your baby’s head,” I coaxed my patient. Alana had been in labor for twenty-three hours and was definitely getting tired.
“You’re almost there, Mama,” Becky, the nurse said, rubbing her shoulder. “Think how amazing it will feel to hold your sweet baby in your arms.”
Alana whimpered and nodded, sweat beading on her forehead. She’d wanted an all-natural birth, and I always honored my patient’s wishes unless I deemed it completely medically necessary to intervene. So when labor stalled, I had Becky walk her up and down the hallway rather than give her a shot of Pitocin to get things going again. It worked. The weight of the baby’s head on her cervix caused it to dilate, and labor picked back up. Now she was just a few more pushes from the finish line.
“Anoth
