Silent Witnesses by Annelie Wendeberg

Author:Annelie Wendeberg
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Annelie Wendeberg

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'Does this feel uncomfortable?' I observed Hattie's face as I palpated her lower abdomen.

'No. Should it?'

I smiled and shook my head. 'You'll be my eyes and ears from now on.'

'You mean I'm to help you catch a killer?'

'No, for this. For your baby.' I nodded at her belly. 'Your uterus feels soft now. But I want you to examine yourself every day. Give me your hands now.'

I showed her the location of her uterus, and how to gently examine it. 'When it contracts it gets round and smooth, and hard, like a polished rock. Should you feel your uterus contracting more often than every half hour, or if you feel pain, or start bleeding, I'd like you to call for me immediately.'

'Is it dangerous? Will I lose my baby again?'

'No. Nothing points to an unusual pregnancy.' I pulled down her chemise, and patted her hand. 'Sit up. I'll help you dress.'

Hattie was silent as I buttoned the back of her morning dress. Then she turned and looked at me with a profound sadness. 'Do you think I did something wrong? That I made myself have miscarriages?'

'What? No! Who would suggest such horrid thing?'

She picked at the frills of her sleeve. 'It's just what I think sometimes.'

I thought back to the women I had tended, back when I’d lived in St Giles. Women who gave birth in filthy, overcrowded rooms. In stairwells or in the streets. Miscarriages were considered an everyday occurrence, a solution to a problem, even.

'Hattie,' I said softly. 'Nature has a way of knowing if a child cannot survive outside the womb. If the embryo or foetus is not perfect, your body will reject it.'

'Do you think it's Robert's fault?'

'I don't think it's anybody's fault. Miscarriages are common. But healthy babies are much more common.'

The corners of her mouth twitched. I took her hand in mine. 'Is he kind to you?'

Her expression hardened. 'Robert? Of course he is.'

'You can always come to me. If you need anything. You and your daughters.'

She jerked back as though I'd punched her. 'He is my husband, not a monster!'

I nodded once. 'Why don't you collect data for me? Write down what you have eaten, how you've slept, your physical activities — including intercourse — and compare that to the instances you felt your uterus harden.'

'Inter…intercourse? You want me to…' Her cheeks acquired an intense shade of strawberry-red.

'You will notice that your uterus hardens tremendously when you climax.'

'Elizabeth Arlington!' She boxed my shoulder, and then all humour fled from her face. 'You mean to say that…relations with my husband are bad for the child?'

'No. They aren't. On the contrary. They are good preparation for a smooth birth.' I winked, and she tut-tutted me.

'And no tight lacing,' I reminded her.

Hattie rolled her eyes.

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