Chapter Thirty-One - It’s a Baby!

Lilas slept peacefully in the bed while her husband, who was also asleep, slumped in the soft leather chair beside the bed. A book lay open and face down in his lap. Pippin had read aloud to Lilas from the baby book his great-great-grandmother Adamanta had written ages ago until his wife fell asleep; then he too fell into an uneasy slumber. Pimpernel sat in the bedside chair fighting with her eyelids to stay awake, but was losing the battle. Eventually, even she dozed off. Cassia Claypot, the midwife, snoozed upon couch in the sitting room; Cassia wanted to stay nearby, though Lilas’ birthing pains had abated enough to allow her to rest.

The room was silent and dark when Lilas awoke, except for a small lantern burning low on the bedside table. She felt a bit of pressure on her back and bladder, making her feel as if she needed to empty it. Out of nowhere she felt another tightening of her womb--a birthing pain--and much stronger this time. She grimaced and held her breath until the wave subsided. This one wasn’t as comfortable as the earlier ones. At first she thought to wake up her husband, then decided to time the pains herself to determine the lapse. She looked at the clock on the wall--a quarter past three in the morning. Now she waited.

Lilas felt her eyelids growing heavy once more, though the pressure on her bladder and back didn’t go away. Too tired t’ get up just yet, she thought to herself as she started to fall back to sleep. She was jolted out her nap when she felt yet another dull pain in her tummy. Already? She looked at the clock, feeling as if no time had passed by. She was surprised to see the count was twenty-two minutes since the last pain. Lilas became frightened--they were picking up right where they left off several hours ago. The pressure against her bladder continued. Laying aside the blanket that covered her, Lilas got up to use the convenience.

“Where are you going?” a harsh whisper was heard behind her. Lilas turned to see Pippin awake.

“T’ use the privy,” she answered a bit tersely. Lilas was frightened and still feeling the firm pressure on her bladder. She almost said something to Pippin about the pains but wanted to time the next one first before sounding the alarm.

“Come straight back here when you’re finished.”

“Yes, sir!” she said, then felt bad when she saw the wounded expression on his face. She came back to kiss his forehead. “I’m sorry Pippin--I love you.”

Pippin wondered at his wife’s sudden mood change. “I’m scared, Lilas,” he said. “For you and our baby.”

“So am I,” she whispered, “but--” Almost imperceptibly, she felt something pop in her womb then could feel something warm trickling down her leg. “I gotta go, Pip!” Lilas nearly ran out the door to find the convenience.

Pippin got up and ran after her. “What’s going on, Lilas?” He could see a trail of huge water droplets leading towards the little room in the back of the apartment. “Lilas?” Pippin knocked courteously before opening the door.

Pimpernel woke up when she heard a commotion move outside of the bedroom. She looked and saw that the other chair was empty--and so was the bed. Pimpernel followed the murmuring of voices to the back. She found Lilas and Pippin in the privy; Pippin had his arm around his wife trying to support her.

Pippin told his sister, “Her water broke--help Lilas while I go wake up Cassia!”

“I’m already here, Pippin,” said the midwife, coming up from behind Pimpernel.

It was a little while before Lilas felt she could walk back to the bed without leaving a trail of water behind. She leaned upon Cassia and Pimpernel as she slowly made her way back into the bedroom.

“What’s going on, Cassia?” Pippin followed the ladies, “Is the baby really coming this time?”

“Pippin, why don’t you go wake mother and father?” Pimpernel’s purpose was to get the anxious father-to-be out of the way so that Cassia could examine Lilas’ progress unhindered. Thankfully, the lad gave no argument as he left for their parents rooms.

“I can’t do this!!” moaned Lilas, well into her birthing pains.

“Yes, you can, Lilas,” encouraged Cassia. She examined Lilas again then spoke in a lower volume to Eglantine, who was sitting near Lilas’ head wiping the tween’s brow. “Not ready yet.”

Six hours later from the trip to the privy, Lilas’ labor pains had progressed to less than ten minutes apart. Pippin, Paladin, and Merry kept vigil outside in the sitting room, waiting for any word of progress or hindrance.

This round of pain subsiding, Lilas let out a long breath. “Where’s Pippin?” she panted.

Pimpernel was ready with another bowl of clean, cool water. Handing the bowl to her mother, she answered Lilas, “He’s in the sitting room with all the other lads.”

“Why can’t he be here with me?”

“Because…,” Pim started to reply but then couldn’t readily think of any good reason why fathers weren’t allowed inside to be with their wives. “Because it’s what been done for the hundreds and hundreds of years.”

“That’s no reason,” answered Lilas between sips of water.

“Lilas dear, it isn’t proper for lads to be in the birthing room,” Eglantine interjected. She wrung out a fresh cool cloth to wipe down Lilas’ forehead.

“But Mum, he’s my husband. He was there when we--,” then Lilas quickly jumped to her next point. “Shouldn’t he also be here when our baby is born?”

“She’s right, Mother,” said Pimpernel, surprisingly coming to Lilas’ defense. “I was happy but terrified when I gave birth to Gelly. I certainly would have fared better if Hilfred were allowed to be with me. So why not let Pippin inside to help Lilas?”

Eglantine looked to Cassia, who shrugged. The midwife replied, “I don’t see why not, but he mustn’t get underfoot.”

Pimpernel offered her plan, “He can do what mother is doing right now.”

All the lads stood up expectantly to hear the news of Lilas when Pimpernel emerged from the bedroom. She approached Pippin, “Lilas is asking for you, little brother. We’ve decided that you may well be of assistance to us ladies.” Pimpernel stepped aside to allow Pippin to enter the bedroom.

Pippin looked from father to cousin and smiled. He knew it was not the normal way things went when it came to birthing. Then he felt his sister grasp his arm as they walked together into the bedroom, Pimpernel smiling as she whispered an admonishment in his ear. “I talked mother and Cassia into this. Stay out of the way--or else I will take you outside and sit on you!”

“How much longer will this go on?” Pippin asked, sitting near his wife’s head, dabbing her forehead and cheeks with a cool cloth. It was more than three hours since Pippin had been brought into the room and Lilas’ birthing pains had progressed to five minutes apart. However, she was losing strength with each bout. This concerned Pippin, because with the pains so close together, she had little time to recover before the next spell hit.

Lilas yelled in response, “Are ye in a hurry?! Ye did this t’ me, ye know!!” Then she whimpered, “I’m not having any more babies!”

Pippin’s jaw dropped at Lilas’ insinuation. His own offhand response was stayed by a gentle touch on his arm from his mother.

“Easy, Lilas,” Eglantine said in a soft voice, hoping her words would calm the lass. “We know you’re tired and in pain right now--we’re all here because we love you and want to help.” She winked at Pippin as she spoke to her daughter-in-law, then watched the fire in his green eyes fade away. She then smiled at Lilas, “It won’t be long now--you’re almost there.”

“Just think about later today, Lilas,” said Pimpernel, trying to get the lass to relax some. “You’ll be holding your baby as he--or she--nurses. There are no words to describe the connection that takes place when your baby is nursing.”

Lilas grimaced, yelling as another birthing pain hit. Pippin winced right alongside her as she dug her nails into his skin. In her fatigue, Lilas lost concentration of the breathing technique that Cassia had taught her. Pippin noting this encouraged her, “Breathe short breaths--like this--” He demonstrated the breathing routine for his wife. Lilas was able to focus while Pippin helped in these exercises. This went on for another couple hours before she began losing steam again.

Cassia examined Lilas then whispered to Eglantine, “She’s almost ready.” Then she turned to Pimpernel standing off to the side, “We’ll need warm water, for to bathe the baby in, if you please.”

Pimpernel came back a short time later with a copper full of warm water and a bucket filled with tepid water. She set the copper near the fireplace to stay warm. As Pim did this, Lilas was in the throes of another birthing pain. Pippin desperately tried to soothe her, combing back her auburn locks out of her face then set another cool cloth upon her forehead. The vigor was draining from Lilas yet again. Pippin saw the severe exhaustion his poor wife was going through. He himself was tired, blinking his swollen bloodshot eyes. He looked through the window watching young children playing with their nurse in the meadow outside. In a couple years, this child--his own child would play with these same children. He sighed; it was almost eighteen hours since this whole ordeal began the evening before.

Another hour later, Cassia felt for the baby once again. The baby was now in position to be born. The midwife got her instruments ready, “You’re almost ready, Lilas!” No sooner had the words left her lips that Lilas began bearing down to push. “That’s it--you’re doing splendid!”

Lilas pushed three more times, then lay back upon her pillow out of breath, squeezing Pippin’s hand. He whispered in her ear, “You can do this.”

As the baby came further, Cassia could see the crown of a head. Lilas groaned as she pushed one more time; straining every muscle in her body to the brink. Seeing the baby’s head emerge, Pimpernel grabbed her brother from where he sat next to Lilas, pulling him to witness the birth of his baby. He was torn between comforting his wife and watching his child being born. “Go!” Lilas gave Pippin a feeble shove towards Pimpernel.

After one last vigorous push, a small slimy form slid out, softly crying. “It’s a lass!” Cassia announced, then at once tied the umbilical cord in two places and cut it.

Eglantine found it hard to keep her composure; the baby’s cry was weak, just as Pippin’s had been when he was born. Her newborn granddaughter was a tiny, frail little baby that should not have been born for another three weeks. Her reflections were broken when Pimpernel took the babe in her arms to bathe her in the waiting basin.

Pippin’s face was as white as a bed sheet--to the point of Eglantine sitting him back down in the chair before they needed to call a healer to tend to him. Pippin obediently sat back down, but his face held the most wondrous expression.

Lilas flopped back upon the bed exhausted, holding her husband’s hand as he sat in the chair beside her. Eglantine smiled at the new mother, “You’ve done well, Lilas. My granddaughter is beautiful.”

“She’s so small,” remarked Pimpernel, now swaddling the infant in a blanket, “and so thin.” She laid the baby upon Lilas’ tummy.

Pippin and Lilas immediately commenced their own assessment of their baby. Together they unwrapped the snug baby blanket, then starting from the bit of downy fur on her feet, they counted ten toes; there were two legs, two arms, and ten digits on the pair of tiny hands. She had a crowned but rounded head, two eyes, a little nose, two tiny pointed ears that still pressed to her head. A few wisps of wet curls still clinging to the back of her small head held a slight tinge of dark red; the same color as Lilas’ hair. Yes, the babe was small, pink, and thin--but she was theirs--their daughter. Pippin looked up with tears in his eyes, “I’m a father.”

“And I’m her mother,” said Lilas softly, touching the delicate skin of her baby daughter.

“Have you two decided on a name yet?” asked Cassia.

“Yes,” said Pippin, stroking the soft cheek of his baby daughter now sleeping and nestled in the arms of her mother. “Her name is Rosebud--Rosebud Took.”

TBC

A/N: Many of you thought that Lilas wouldn’t make it through childbirth--shame on you! I am not a medical doctor, nor a midwife. The drama that took place was exactly that--drama, though much of it is the collaboration of several childbirth stories.