Solo One Of Those Days

[Amunet]

70th day, summer, 515 a.v.
Shimmerstone Pavilion, River Flower
Endrykas

Sometimes a person would get the feeling it’s just going to be one of those days. This was one of those days. It started very early at the fourth bell when her shoulder was roughly shaken by her father. “Ami, its Tula. Its time.” About time it was since she was ten days late. As she tried to tell her, most first babies were late.

“Alright, alright! Getting up! “ The girl said as she went into alert state after a few blinks of her eyes. In her under garments, she ran over with her father to his screaming second wife. “Did she break water?”

“I think so the bedding is all wet. “ He said in a matter of fact voice as they walked the short distance from her tent to the pavilion main tent. Mara was there trying to reassure her as the woman was screeching and writhing in the sleeping section.

Amunet looked at the both of them, “How close together are the pains?” The young midwife looked more to Mara who was usually the rational one.

“Don’t you dare let her touch me” Tula hissed at her before her voice launched into the dark ceiling of the tent when the pains hit her again. “No, No, please help me, please.” She gasped out, eyes wide as her hands were on a swollen abdomen that was as tight as a rock.

Both Mara and Amunet took a second to roll their eyes. “Mara, we need her in a better position. More in the middle.” The little lady went to over help Mara move Tula into the position. She put an shoulder and arm up and under the arm carefully to lift with her legs and move her the couple of feet and lay her back down. They did so carefully, but the woman thrashed so when the pains hit her. Amunet went to wash her hands thoroughly. She scrubbed the soap well up her forearms, up onto her fingers and between her fingers. She rinsed and dried her hands. Then she went to gather a few things. “Mara do you have small blankets and swaddling ready?”

The woman nodded as she was at Tula’s head as Amunet looked at the business end. The girl lifted the skirt up and widened the knees as she rested her hand on the belly. Her lower under garment had already been removed as it was wet with the water breaking. Then with two fingers she entered into the canal to feel around. The red head looked up with a studious expression. The woman was well dialated and the head was right there. “It won’t be long. This is happening fast. Mara, get the swaddling and three or four large clothes. “

Amunet was all business as she attempted to coach the spiteful wench of a woman. “Tula look at me. When I tell you to I need you to push. “ Her hand was on the belly and when it tightened to a rock hardness. “take a deep breath and push!!”

The woman screamed as she tried to bare down, but ended up thrashing around. Amunet reached across and pulled at her top firmly to bring her closer to her face and leaned in to look in the woman’s face. “No!! Look at me! Curl into the belly, put your feet flat against the ground and push into the ground. Mara help her from the back to curl in don’t let her stiffen like that.” Once the belly hardened again,” Now, deep breath Tula and Push.” The girl watched the woman try and curl in. “push, push, push 6, 7, 8, 9 and breath. Good. “

Amunet looked to check the progress as she was starting to crown. Her little fingers massaged the little wet hairy head that had surfaced. The little midwife moved her fingers around and along the curve of the little skull and the birth canal gently to help with widening the opening a little. Her other hand was on the belly. When it tightened her voice was clear as a bell. “Tula,deep breath and push push go go go go 6, 7, 8, 9,annddd .. breath. “ The woman took a breath then another. It was like running a marathon only with a lot more pain.

The baby head was fully crowned and on its way to exiting. “Tula.. on the next push I need it to be hard. The baby’s head is right here. “ Amunet said to her. The woman nodded as she was breathing hard and sweating. “Ready… deep breath and Push.. harder, go, go, go, Keep going, 6, 7, 8, 9, and breath“ The red head’s hand was right there as the woman screamed when the baby’s head started its exit. She had to take a breath. “ Again, Tula deep breath and bare down hard, almost there. Push!” Tula curled in again. As it sometimes happens bowels eliminate during this part and a cloth was put down so the baby wouldn’t touch it.

[Amunet]

“There’s the head !!” Amunet’s careful hands turned the baby a bit to the left for the shoulders. “One more push, deep breath and .. go, go, go, go… 6, 7, 8, 9, and there’s the shoulders “ Mara was encouraging along as well. The shoulders passed and out came the baby. Amunet had the baby cradled on her forearm and down as with a clean cloth wiped her mouth quickly and brought the baby up as the lusty wail gave its first breaths.

“You got a little girl!!” Amunet beamed happily. Mara had put a cloth on Tula’s belly and Amunet put the baby on the belly as she tied off the cord tightly a couple or three inches from the baby and another inch or so from there. She looked around for her father, but men were funny about these things. The little midwife cut the cord. “Just rest here. The afterbirth has yet to come. “

Amunet encouraged the afterbirth by massaging the belly a bit. First time the afterbirth could take a bit so she busied herself with notations. Mara helped her measure the baby and get a relative weight of the baby. “eighteen inches long and six and a half pounds. “ The baby was still crying as she was wrapped in swaddling and passed off to her mother Tula who immediately presented the wailing baby to the breast. The both of them took to that like duck to water.

Amunet watched mother and baby as Mara brought more light in as there was little time before then. The red head continued to massage the belly as the after birth came out in a ponderously slow plop. This was gathered with the bowel movement and handed to Mara for disposal. She made the additional notation that baby started nursing and provided nursing counciling.

“Tula let me know if you need help with your milk. In about three days the true milk will let down. There are teas that can increase milk supply and ointments to protect your nipples from chafing. “ The woman’s face was tender as she was cooing at the baby. She looked at Amunet and nodded her eyes misting. “what are you going to name her?”

Tula’s eyes widened. “Lina.. her name is Lina. “

“I will check on you two later. “ The diminutive woman stood up and went to wash her hands again. She might as well get herself to the River Flower. Besides she had to update the records.

Once she was dressed and ate a bite of breakfast, she walked her happy behind to the River Flower with her journal. In she went and into the records to make her notations on the birth, the newborn and the mother’s health. It was a happy thing and she didn’t even get hit. When she closed the record books she turned to see if anyone had made tea. There seemed to always be tea at the River Flower as she got a cup and went outside to watch the Syna’s light peek over the distant waving grass. One of the nurses gently tapped her on the arm.”Amunet, congratulations. I hear you got a new little sister. “

The red head nodded. ”Thank you. Good delivery too. “ She looked back as the nurse was called to the front as someone had come in. Amunet sipped her tea and enjoyed the sunrise a bit longer. A few minutes later the nurse came back. “Amunet, It’s a colicky baby, can you take a look.”

The little woman nodded as she followed the nurse into the curtained off chamber with the nervous mother. Amunet went to tie her hair back with a bit of leather and wash her hands as she smiled to the lady. “Hi, what do we have here? “ The baby was very fussy. Amunet’s hands went out as the harried woman handed the baby to Amunet.

“She hasn’t slept or stopped crying in days. She eats and then pukes it back up. “ The woman was wringing her hands. The lack of sleep was showing on the woman’s haggard face.

“Does she puke all of it?” Amunet had the baby on her shoulder and patted the baby gently at the back in a steady and slow pace. It was soon rewarded with a small burp. “She is definitely gassy. Poor little one, “ as the compassionate red head crooned to the seven month old infant in soothing tones.

“So it isn’t just me?” The mother’s eyes widened.

“No, we just got to figure out what’s causing all the gas. “ Amunet voice remained low, soft and calm as she turned the baby in order to feel the tummy. Those diminutive hands gently pressed around slowly and methodically in different areas of the abdomen. When she hit a slightly hardened spots it produced more crying. The little woman stopped and crooned to the wailing infant. “The poor thing has gas pockets in the upper and lower abdomen, why her belly is puffy and hard in some spots. Is she still on the breast. ?”

[Amunet]

The woman nodded to her in the affirmative as she looked at the little midwife with a grasp of desperate hope. “She is starting to eat soupy porridge.”

“What are you eating lately. “ Amunet provided a smile. Her one hand was still patting the baby on the back. The other hand was around the mother’s shoulders. Amunet did her best to provide comfort and reassurance. The hand patted her shoulder in as much as the other hand was soothing the baby with similar pats. Ironically it does tend to work as both baby and mother do calm down. The baby was still quite a bit fussy as it sniffed and gripped at Amunet’s shirt.

“Well a lot of cabbage and foraged greens with the meat. “

Amunet smiled. “You may want to back off on the cabbage. Eat mild things for a few days. Strong foods will produce strong milk. Some babies do not respond well with that. You also may want to feed the baby soupy oatmeal instead of porridge. She may not be ready for porridge quite yet. Let’s see if we can get the worst of it out of her system I hope you brought a spare diaper. “ The girl disappeared in the back. It seemed that teenage years of working with various midwives and the voice of her mother rang in her ears.

She obtained a bit of grapeseed oil from the stores to make a blend for the mother. This would consist of a very mild solution of peppermint, chamomile and ginger. Peppermint was known to work well for colds and break up catarrh in teas but it also was good for upset tummies. This was a third of the mix. Ginger every woman of child bearing age knows it was good for nausea. That was a strong oil and she used it sparingly of only five drops into the blend. Chamomile helped relax the muscles of the stomach. This was a third of the mix. The other third was more grapeseed to dilute it for an infant. The midwife who tutored her when she was growing up taught her that one. This blend was good for pregnant women as well as mild for children.

She returned to the mother and child. Amunet placed a very small amount in her palm and rubbed it on the belly massaging it in gently. The aroma wafted up gently as the warmth of the red head’s hands pressed the oil into the skin with soothing steady gentle strokes. The baby cried and fussed. Then she reached for a cloth that was very warm but not so much as to be too hot for the baby. She placed it over the belly so the heat will help the oil soak into the skin. Then she took the legs and gently bent them at the knee, up and against the belly then back down slowly. This was repeated knees up and against the belly then back down slowly. This occurred a few times till there were farts.

“Watch how I am doing this so you can do this. Burp her very well. You may need to spend extra time burping her. Take this oil and do as we are doing here. The cloth needs to be as warm as you can but not to much. “ The baby had settled a bit. Amunet picked her up and patted her on the back as the baby laid her head on her shoulder. “There you go little one. “ Amunet rocked side to side very very slowly in a soothing rhythm. The baby sniffled a bit as her head laid there. Her symptoms was eased but now the mother was armed to help deal with this issue.

The mother looked at her. “You’re going to make a good mom one day, Amunet. “ The lady collected the baby and the oil. She made her way back home and hopefully some rest.

“one day, maybe.” The girl said under her breath to no one really as she shrugged. From what she seen so far and who her family keeps parading before her, she was doomed to be a spinster. The little woman shivered at the prospect of being given to a man with cold hands. The journal was updated with the treatment and diagnosis for review by the doctors later.

The little red head went to wash her hands again. The nurse came to her looking at her with a smile. “Got a good one for you. Few of the boys thought that it would be a good idea to test out their hunting skills.”

Amunet’s eyebrows went up.”Oh no.” The girl closed her eyes just imagining the disaster. Though the mirth of the nurse told her it wasn’t too serious. “What did they find?”

“A porcupine.” The nurse was tryinig very hard not to laugh. “The boys got pelted good with quills.”

“ohh Rak’keli preserve them. “ The little woman bit down on her lip as the smile edged across her delicate face. “How many boys?”

“Three.” The nurse went around the corner.

[Amunet]

Amunet followed behind her to the waiting trio with the hunters who found them. They had barely contained mirth upon their strong faces. “So the mighty hunters returned. “ She couldn’t resist.

The boys flushed with embarrassment and the Hunters laughed as they told the tale. The midwife went to take a look at the boys very gently. They all had quills in various locations of the fleshy persuasion: buttucks, arms, legs, shoulders. “ These are going to have to be extracted. “ She looked over at the attending nurse. “I will need this looked at by a Doctor, but I can get the extraction started. “

She nodded “I will tell Nehrar “ She disappeared as Amunet got a bowl, tweezers, pliers, witch hazel antiseptic wash and a few cloths. The one boy had several in his buttocks and a couple down his left outer thigh. He appeared to be the worse. “If you can locate the parents, we may need a change in clothing. This one is going to need new pants. “

One of the Hunters nodded and went in search of Bentis parents. “Please stay calm, but im going to have to cut your pants off. “
“Cut them off? But …. Oh man mom is going to kill me.” He groaned. He gritted his teeth as the little red head brought him over to a exam bed and bent over it.

Amunet started cutting off the pants carefully around the quills. The boy winced a couple of times, till she got the pants off in pieces. The quills were good into his behind. “Bentis, this is going to hurt. I will need you to hold onto the table. Do you need something to bite down on? “ When the boy nodded she gave him a piece of clean Leather to clamp down on as he grabbed on the sides. She took the pliers and got as close as possible to where the quill met the flesh. She has seen this done before here in the River Flower. It was a steady firm pull.

The boy grunted and closed his eyes as she pulled the quill out. “These are deep I am sorry. “ Dropping it into the bowl as she went to the next one. Nehar was at her elbow at that point. “good firm, slow and steady hand there Amunet. “

She just about jumped out of her skin, but the boy’s needs outweighed her need to jump. “Thank you, sir.”

“I looked at the other boys, this one is the worst looks like. “ he said picking up the witch hazel antiseptic wash. “Clean the wounds and dress them. The boy will need to rest for a few days and send a bottle of this home with the Parents to clean the wound with. Willow bark and valerain for pain and swelling. Half the regular dosage for their age. “ The man said to her.

“Yes sir. “ The girl nodded as she pulled the last quill out of the thigh. “Im sorry. I know it hurts. That was the last one. “ The little woman got another bowl with water to do the initial cleaning of the puncture wounds . With a clean cloth she applied the antiseptic wash liberaly. Considering it contained alcohol the boy hissed and cried out a bit on that. Amunet then dressed the wound.

She looked at the hunter. “did they at least get their porcupine?”
“Aye! They actually did manage to kill it. “ The Hunter said to them. “I think next time though they will avoid the business end. “

Bentis mother came in as her worry turned to relief. Amunet provided the instructions to the lady handing her a bottle of witch hazel tincture. “Keep it clean. He needs to rest for a few days. If he has any pain, make a tea half strength with willow bark and valerain. If you need some, come here and ask the apothecary. If there is any redness or it progressively gets more painful, bring him back immediately.” The mother gave her a loose pair of pants as the both of them helped him into them.

The next boy had quills in his forearm. There were maybe six of them. Amunet had him sit with his arm up on the table as she had him brace himself. “Turn your head and bite down on the leather. “ The girl said to him and as he turned his head she deftly grabbed a quill and pulled. The girl’s heart went out to the boy and progressed steadily. Soon all the quills were out and she cleaned the puncture wounds. This was at least easier to dress being an arm. One folded cloth and then bandages wrapped around the arm in firm but not so firm that it would strangle the arm. She provided instructions to his parents who both came in and escorted the boy out.

“Ok last but not least.” The boy with the quills in the shoulder and upper arm looked worried as he heard the other two cry and scream. Amunet patted him reassuringly. “Its going to hurt but I will be as gentle as I can. I can give you a tea that could help a little bit.” The girl said as she looked at his face that seemed to hold a lot of fear.

[Amunet]

“They really hurt. “ He said as the look on his face was quite obvious of the pain he was in.

Amunet had to cut the shirt around the quills up to his shoulder. One of the quills seemed to be going into the boney part of the shoulder blade. It was no wonder it was painful. She went to the curtain and put her head around the corner to see if she could spot the elder healer. “Nehrar could you look at this one. These are deeper than I thought. “

Nehrar nodded as he came in the area to look as he gently took the boys arms and looked at the quills placement poking out of the shoulder and around the shoulder blade. “This is going to take some doing. “

“Arnor says that it is really painful. As pale as he is, this is a little more than just in the flesh. “ Amunet was pretty sure her skill for this was not enough.

Nehrar nodded to her estimation. “Good eye and we will need to give the boy something for pain before we work on these.”

Amunet looked at him and as he nodded she went to make the tea for the boy. She went to the back and put two parts crushed willow bark and one part Valerain to four parts hot water. This was about half strength to an adult strength tea. Once in the cup she brought it out with a clean flat piece of wood on the top to let it steep. Nehrar was updating the boy’s father on what needed to be done. The tea steeped for five clicks before she sweetened slightly with honey and gave it to the boy. “Drink it all. It will help with the pain. “

The boy gave a look as even with the bit of honey, the brew was bitter. Still he gulped it down. Nehrar came over and started extracting the easier ones. Amunet watched the elder healer, paying attention to his technique. He worked the quill out with slower pull turning ever so slightly feeling it along the shoulder bone. The boy screamed but once it was out, the Valerain took over. Once Nehrar removed the rest of the quills, Amunet moved in to wash the puncture wounds, clean it with witch hazel and bandage the wounds.

The boy was falling asleep just about once he was handed to his father with the instructions that was provided with the other two boys. Surprisingly It was eleventh bell by the time she had documented the treatments and cleaned up. The nurse shooed her away to go eat breakfast and take care of what she needed. If they had need of her, they would send for her. Amunet walked out of the River Flower towards her Pavilion to check on the new mother and infant.

[Balderdash]

Delicious rewards! Happy days and jubilation!

You! :

Skill	XP Awarded
Cleaning	1
Medicine	4
Teaching	2
Investigation	1
Sarcasm	1

Lores: Folk Knowledge: First Babies Are Often Tardy, Newborns Need Swaddling, Feeling Around A Vagina, Identifying A Baby, Catching A Baby, Cabbage Makes Colic, Porcupines Are Difficult Prey When You’re Twelve

Items and Consequences: A stench on Amunet's hands that won’t come off for a good two days, a slight difficulty maintaining eye contact with the lady who gave birth.

I heard a call, and so have answered it. Was solid as far as content went, but could have used some finesse in punctuation. Commas, question marks and the rest can be great aids to help the reader hear the inflection you're imagining for the characters in your head. Also, when talking about things like fussy babies, it is often helpful to focus on things that other characters can see (the way its belly shakes when it sobs, its red face, maybe the slick tracks on its cheeks where the tears have slid) to enhance IMAGERY. Anywho, hope it's a nice grade.

If you have any questions or concerns about this grade, please PM me. A happy you is a happy Balderdash!