Carolena didn't know if this second delivery would float
as a "natural birth" -- problem was, her memories were
just too fresh concerning Bronté and the 21.5 hours
required to bring that 6-pound 13-ounce bundle of
blubbery love into the world. Carolena had always
heard that women "forget" the pain, which is the
supposed proverbial reason women are able to have
a second, even third or fourth child. Trouble is, Carolena has a great
memory, at least when it comes to childbirth pain. But Douglas assured
her that the second delivery is generally much shorter than the first,
generally by half. Of course, immediately, a thousand and one naysayers
rushed forward to assure her that no, sometimes the second delivery is
longer, much longer, sometimes lasting as long as a year! And that some-
times the mother's head explodes, so bad is the second delivery. (Hint,
get ready to use LOTS of drugs, unless you're a barbarian!)
Carolena's husband guestimated that she would be in hard labor no
longer than 4 hours. "Right," the naysayers whispered, and then
proceeded to tell Carolena all the horror stories of screaming women
sweating out their life's blood as their second children teased and
budged, teased and budged, the hard labor stretching into never-ending,
ever-screaming infinity.
