"Okay, here comes a contraction," Amanda said, watching the monitor. "In three... two... one... push!"
Aria took a deep breath, tucked her chin to her chest the way they'd practiced in birthing class, and pushed with everything she had.
It felt strange, because the epidural meant she couldn't feel pain, but she could feel pressure, could feel her body working, and she could feel something happening even if she couldn't quite identify what.
"Good!" Dr. Chen encouraged from her position at the foot of the bed. "That's a good push. Keep going, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten. Breathe!"
Aria gasped for air, falling back against the pillows.
"That was great," Damien said, squeezing her hand. "You did so good."
"I didn't feel anything happen." Aria said.
"You're doing
