The Good. The Bad. The Unexpected.

On that unbearably humid morning, I awoke knowing perfectly well what was to happen. But I didn’t think it would happen so briefly. For the past nine months, my usually loving mother had grown extremely large, exceedingly controlling, and seemed to be in pain all the time! As expected of a woman with child, she became so overbearingly naggy that I had practically jumped with glee when I had heard she was finally going into labor. But who knew the moment that I had been ecstatic about would be more different than I thought.

I never really liked hospitals. The white room appeared too...too everything! The bed was too neat. The chairs were too cold. The aroma was too strong. Yet, despite it all, I felt very dense, like none of it was really happening. I wasn’t aware that my mother lay aching on the dreadful hospital bed, or my father and older sister were busy playing with their phones. With the thought of more waiting, I grew restless. As the clock read exactly 8:43 in the morning, I shifted my position in the uncomfortable green armchair. Minute by minute, my mother’s contractions grew stronger. Where the heck were the doctors?

20 minutes passed. It was time. The doctor and nurse arrived to do their job. Because I didn’t have much to do, I observed the course of action the doctor took to deliver a baby. The process began by thoroughly cleansing their hands. With a stern look, the doctor carefully slid on his gloves in that professional-like way those doctors do. As they probed my mother with the normal procedure, I secretly prayed to God that nothing unfortunate would happen.

The agony began. As the doctor instructed my mother to push and breathe, my father, looking as worried as me, gripped my mother’s hand as she heaved. Suddenly, her face changed from minor hurt to a ferocity that grew with every scream. As I stood, both filming on my video camera and observing, I noticed that labor seemed a lot like a pattern. Push. Breathe. Push. Breathe. It was never-ending. With every push, a new question shoved its way into my mind. What will he look like? What if he doesn’t like me? Why wouldn’t he just come out already?

After about a nice, long two hours of labor, pop! Like that, a baby was born. As my father cut the umbilical cord, I felt a ping of happiness. Over. It was finally over. This adorable creature weighed seven pounds and eight ounces and sported a hue of golden-brown. As I caressed him in my arms, I had an epiphany. Not only was I the big sister now, I had learned things may not always be what you believe they are. Although labor wasn’t exactly what I had imagined, I gained something from it. My brother.

This is an expressive piece I wrote a few weeks after my baby brother was born. I'd like it if you guys could help me describe the experience better. I feel that the 2nd paragraph should be better.