The Stars and The Sea

Chapter 31

Well, it was finally happening. Moana was in labor.

She and Huihana had been walking around the village to try and soothe the pre-birth contractions that kept Moana up all night for the past two weeks. Once they had started, the midwives knew the birth was imminent and began to prepare.

About halfway through Moana's pregnancy, there had been a special fale specifically constructed for Moana to give birth in and then spend the first month or so of her baby's life. It was tradition for a new mother to rest as much as possible, and for her mother and other female family members to help her out. Keoni was naturally stressed at the thought of Moana being in any sort of pain. But at the same time, he knew she would power through it.

And of course, Maui was also visiting, having heard from the gods about Moana's due date, and he had insisted he couldn't miss the birth of his 'niece' or 'nephew'. The Demi-God made a bold claim that it was gonna be a girl, and no one bothered to argue.

Keoni's heart pounded in his ears even as the women called for him, as it was customary for the father to be present for the birth of his child. He was hesitant at first, but Huihana assured him, that she was going to help as well.

Even though Moana wasn't present for the birth of her nephews, Huihana would be present for the birth of her niece or nephew, feeling it was her duty to be there for her sister-in-law. She followed Keoni up the short set of stairs, and he pushed the tapa curtain aside and was greeted with the sight of Moana surrounded by the healer Alaula with her assistants, her mother Sina, and her cousin Pania.

The moment Moana saw Keoni, her face lit up, giving him a pained smile, tears welling up in her eyes. He was immediately by her side, taking her hands in his.

"I'm here, Mo, I'm here," he whispered, pressing a kiss to her forehead. Alaula and Sina proceeded to explain the steps to a safe delivery, and that Keoni's role was to be Moana's support, keeping her focused and as calm as possible.

Alaula guided Keoni to help Moana walk around the fale to aid with the discomfort in her pelvis. Movement would help shift the baby further down, and Alaula had already assessed that the baby was in the correct position; no breech birth.

Keoni didn't really understand what that meant, but to him, it didn't matter. All he cared about was making sure his wife would be safe and that their child would be born healthy. And so, as the couple walked around the fale, Moana would periodically request he rub her lower back, which he did without question. He knew her hips ached, he could see every bit of her pain in her face; yet they both knew that exhibiting or verbally expressing pain was frowned upon. That was another thing Keoni did not understand, but it was something he did not question either. The women knew what they were doing, and he trusted them to care for Moana.

Moana then bit back a pained gasp as a huge contraction ripped through her, and she took Keoni's hand, gripping it as tightly as possible. He winced slightly feeling her nails dig into his palm, but that was nothing compared to the pain of his broken shoulder.

"Hey, hey. Mo, look at me," he stopped, bending down slightly to gaze at her face. She slowly craned her face in his direction, and through a mutual connection, she resumed her slow, steady breathing. He brushed her hair away from her forehead, wiping a bead of sweat away.

"Come, bring her here," Alaula instructed, having laid out layered mats for Moana to squat over. Keoni did as instructed, gently leading Moana to Alaula, Sina, and Huihana. Pania and Alaula's assistant stood a few feet away, awaiting further instruction. Keoni quickly glanced over at Pania, who gave him a supportive nod and smile.

"You've both got this," she mouthed.

Suddenly, as Alaula was inspecting Moana's dilation, which was confirmed to be the right time to start pushing, a knock came on the wooden post just outside, and Sina hurriedly covered her daughter with a blanket as Huihana went to answer.