“At that very moment, Annushka did not yet suspect that her name was that. She knew nothing at all except the calmness of the womb position and the moist, serene existence. The same thing that precedes the main one. And suddenly her peace was disturbed: everything around began to sway and spin. First with measured thrusts. For a long time. Excruciating. Then it became strained to press from all sides. To stick out and be pushed out of the usual measured life. The soft, still pliable head got the most. She was squeezed against her will into an incredibly narrow tunnel. Stuck on every millimeter. And the head had to flatten, experiencing the first pain. The baby subconsciously turned his head to squeeze forward. First, to the side, as if looking at the shoulder, then down, chin to chest. There was no other way - they were inexorably pushing from above. Then the crown rested again, but against something softer. The soft waited and gave in. The child finally squeezed through, thanks to someone’s rubber hands, into the light of day...”