Epilogue-Bailey
“Bailey, you have to push!” Dr. Goldman says.
I swear to God I might murder the next person that tells me to push. I have pushed four babies out of my vagina, and I swear this last one has been the hardest. Every second of this pregnancy has convinced me that we are done.
“I am pushing!” I groan as another contraction overtakes my body. I push with all of my might, “Aiden Matthew, I am done having your babies. This is the last one!”
Dr. Goldman chuckles, “You said that when Rylen was born,” She says. “One more good push, Bailey, and your baby will be here.”
“Just because you’re my boss doesn’t mean you can sass me right now.” I say to the doctor. I am a labor and delivery nurse in this very hospital. I help Dr. Goldman deliver babies every day. I love my job, and the people I work with, but her sarcasm is not needed in this moment.
“Oh, you knew what you were getting into when you decided to have your babies with your coworkers, Bee.” Catherine, my best friend and favorite coworker says.
“Shut up!” Is all I get out before the contraction hits and I push.
I’m exhausted. I have been in labor for the last twenty hours, and aside from Rowan, that is my longest labor.
Everything about this pregnancy has been the worst. Firstly, I did not want another baby.
I was done after Rylen, but a girl’s night with all my sister in laws, too much tequila and my very hot husband resulted in two pink lines and me telling my husband he is getting a vasectomy.
I will say it again, I am done having babies.
The screaming, tiny human is placed on my chest, “It’s another girl, Blue,” Aiden says in a watery voice, a bright smile on his face as he looks down at the little girl that has completed our family.
That makes four girls and a boy. Poor Ryder, our second born, has grown up surrounded by girls. Apparently Baker children have a thing for having girls, because Ryder is the only boy in the whole cousin’s crew. He’s spoiled by the men in our family, though, so it works out in his favor.
“Congratulations you two,” Dr. Goldman says as she works on cleaning and stitching me up, “Have you decided on a name yet?”
“Rosalyn, Rosy for short, was the girl name we had picked out,” I say.
When we found out we were pregnant with Renly, our third, we decided we wanted to find out the gender when she was born.
We did the same thing with Rylen four years later.
We did the same thing with this pregnancy.
We have had a girl name and a boy name picked out for each pregnancy.
Using names that start with R kind of just happened, “Do we still love it?”
“I think it’s perfect for her,” Aiden says.
“Alright you guys, we are gonna transfer you over to postpartum,” She says while she washes her hands. “Bailey, do you want to see if she will latch while we wheel you over there?’
I work on getting Rosy to latch. Breast feeding has been the only part of having children that I genuinely enjoy.
Being pregnant is not my favorite thing in the world.
Luckily, I didn’t have hypertension or pre-eclampsia with any of the pregnancies after Rowan, but I did struggle with morning sickness throughout all of them.
It didn’t stop in the second trimester like it did with RoRo.
It continued until the end. I love all of my children, but I will never be pregnant again. I think five kids is enough.
“How are you feeling, Momma?” Ryder asks when he enters Rosy’s nursery a few days later.
This boy looks just like his dad. Curly blonde hair and honey brown eyes.
Sometimes I look at my son and get sucked into memories with his dad when he was his age.
I’ll think back to skinned knees, bike rides, Christmas mornings with his dad.
I look at my son, and all I can think is how grateful I am for this life I get to live.
A life with my best friend beside me. A life where I get to raise my kids with my very favorite person in the world, I get to fall asleep snuggled with my Bear and wake up to his face every morning.
“I’m feeling okay. How are you?” I ask him. He has wanted a brother for as long as he’s been alive, so I’m not sure how he is taking the news that this last baby is a girl.
“I wanted a brother, Momma,” My sweet boy says.
“I know baby. I wish I could give you a brother, but it seems you’re doomed to a life of sisters,” I chuckle.
“That’s okay. I’ll love her anyway.” He walks closer to me to try and get a peak at the baby falling asleep in my arms, “She’s so cute. So much cuter than Lenny was when she was born.”
“That’s not very nice, Ryder,” Aiden says walking into the room with Raylen, Lenny, in his arms.
“I’m sorry,” Ryder says, guiltily to his sister.
“It’s okay, Ryry. I forgive you.” Rylen says.
”Mom! Can I go hang out with Luca and Carter?” Rowan yells from somewhere in the house.
“Rowan, stop yelling, you’ll wake the baby,” Renly, my most reserved child yells back.
“Sorry!” Rowan calls back to her sister.
I stand up and put a, thankfully still asleep, Rosy back in her crib, and usher everyone out of the room. I walk down the stairs of our two story house. Rowan is already putting on her shoes, and Renly is sitting in the corner of our sectional with her kindle in her lap.
“Yes, Little Bear, you can go hang out with your friends.” I tell her, “Make sure you have your phone on you and be back by dinner please.”
Luca and Rowan are best friends and have been their entire lives. They spend all their time together. Carter is one of Rowan’s friends from school.
Over the last decade, our family has grown and changed.
We have added people to our circle, and I am grateful to each and every one of them.
My life is still a dream I hope I never wake up from, and I owe it all to that little boy all those years ago with a Bear t-shirt and a smile as bright as the sun.