Re: Self-prompt: Burnballs Mpreg - warning: birth!fic 1h/1
anonymous
May 8 2013, 01:53:50 UTC
The blood pressure and pulse check are over quickly and all is fine. Another contraction comes and goes and it is clear, from the steady whooshing of the Doppler, that the baby is doing well too. Andy takes a deep breath, relieved and steels himself for the internal exam Caroline needs to do. Andy dislikes internal exams at the best of times, he feels exposed, and the passage between his uterus and his external opening has been quite tender over the past few months, changing form in preparation for birth.
He reluctantly removes his pants and climbs onto the examination table, which is set in a semi-reclining position. Caroline starts by examining his male genitalia, "good, good" she says, "everything is in the right position." Andy releases a breath he didn't realise he'd been holding. He's read a couple of horror stories on the Internet. Some men's testes don't retract completely during the first stage of labour, making the second stage utterly excruciating, passing out from the pain is not unheard of.
Caroline then feels his stomach, feeling for the position of the baby's head. "The head is well engaged, everything feels good, now, can you lean back against the bed, bend your knees and let your legs fall open. I'll be as gentle as possible," she says, pulling on a fresh pair of rubber gloves.
Andy tries to keep his breathing steady as he moves into position, he knows this will be painful. Ed sits on the stool beside the exam table and grabs his hand, running his thumb in random patterns over his palm. Caroline's hand slips into his external opening at the same moment another wave of pain swells up and it is all too much, tears slip down his cheeks and his breath comes in loud, harsh sobs, Ed looks distressed and grips his hands harder, "I won't be too much longer," she says gently, "you are doing so well Andy,"
Ed leans over and wipes the tears from his cheeks, "I am so proud of you," he whispers.
Andy does not feel proud of himself. He does not feel that he is doing well. He feels like he is failing. Like he won't be able to cope with what is still to come. He can't stop crying now that he's started and he feels pathetic. Caroline finally finishes the exam and withdraws her hand, the contraction subsides and is free to move again but his sense of control is gone. He leans forward into Ed's strong, waiting arms, breath still coming in wracking sobs, Ed holds him tight, murmuring words of encouragement that Andy can't really make out into his ear and he feels a little safer.
He then becomes aware of Caroline touching him gently on the shoulder, "Andy, you're already 7cm dilated, I can stretch you to 8cm, you are 100% effaced, the baby is well engaged, your water is still in tact but I see no reason to break it artificially. You are entering transition. That is why everything feels so overwhelming right now, but trust me Andy, you are doing so well."
Andy nods in reply as another wave of pain, more intense again, builds.
Re: Self-prompt: Burnballs Mpreg - warning: birth!fic 1i/1
anonymous
May 8 2013, 01:55:27 UTC
Andy huffs out a breath and uncurls himself from the birthing ball he is kneeling against, dragging himself to standing with great difficulty as the pain lessens but doesn't fade completely, the pain hasn't faded completely in more than an hour now, in between the peaks there is a constant, gnawing ache in his pubic area that is, in someways more difficult to cope with than the contractions. He can't do this anymore and isn't going to. Walking is nearly impossible but he has to get out of this room, he needs to go home. He can't have a baby, the whole idea is ridiculous. It takes all his concentration, but slowly he is moving forward. Somewhere behind him he can hear Ed's voice, distant and foreign.
"Where are you going Andy?"
Andy turns to face Ed and Caroline and for the first time in hours he feels in full control, "I'm going home," he says, his voice full of determination. He turns back towards the door and manages another six steps before a fresh wave of pain engulfs him, he doubles over, pressing a hand desperately into his public bone in an effort to fight off the pain with pressure, it fails miserably and he lets out a guttural shout of frustration. The pain eases off momentarily and Andy tries to straighten up, but before he can do so, the pain begin to build again and again hot tears stream down his face as he realises he is stuck.
Ed and Caroline are by his side within seconds and together they take his weight and half-carry, half-drag him back towards the birthing ball. "Do you want to take a shower?" Caroline asks calmly.
Andy nods.
...
For 15 minute the shower is pure bliss, he'd leant against the wall while Ed directed a firm jet of scalding water on his aching back, the contractions had continued, just as intense as before, but in the shower they had seemed more manageable.
Then the shaking started. His whole body is quivering uncontrollably, his teeth are chattering and his legs feel like they are gong to collapse from under him, a wave of nausea swiftly follows the onset of the shaking and suddenly every touch is excruciatingly intense. Any sense of control he had slips away, Turn the water off, please" he manages to force out in a lull between contractions, his voice shaky. The wave of nausea builds with the next contraction and he heaves uncontrollably as it peaks, spitting a small amount of acidic bile from his mouth as the wave recedes, "oh God," he sobs, pushing Ed away from him, "please don't touch me, too much.".
"What can I do?" Ed asks.
Andy shakes his head, he honestly doesn't know the answer to Ed's question.
He is vaguely aware that Caroline is standing behind him, "Andy, can you come out of the shower cubicle for me? It's time to check the baby's heart rate again."
Andy manages to step out of the shower and take a couple of steps before his legs start to give way, Caroline guides him to the ground gently, helping him into position on his hands and knees, Andy can hear Caroline and Ed talking, distant and fuzzy, he is only hearing snatches of the conversation and of the steady woosh of the Doppler, Ed sounds concerned, he asks if transition usually takes this long and Caroline reassures him that everything is normal. Andy feels almost as if he is outside of his mind, the only certainties are the ebb and flow of the contractions, the nausea and the shaking, everything else could be imagined.
Re: Self-prompt: Burnballs Mpreg - warning: birth!fic 1j/1
anonymous
May 8 2013, 01:56:48 UTC
Long minutes pass and Andy finally comes back to himself. The shaking and nausea ease and with the next contraction his breath catches as it peaks and he grunts involuntarily as a new sensation, a desperate need to bear down, courses through his body. The sensation is all consuming, he pushes slightly, more of an experiment than a real effort and feels a pop followed a gush of warm fluid running down his legs.
He is momentarily worried that he has pissed himself before Caroline says, "the water is clear, it won't be long now," the contraction tapers off and all his other aches and pains seem to be lessening too, He feels stronger and more in control than he has in hours. For the first time since getting out of the shower, he seeks out Ed's touch, reaching out towards him, Ed hesitantly grips Andy's hand and they both wait for a wave of pain that doesn't come.
"Caroline?" Andy asks after a couple of minutes, his voice slightly tinged with panic, "why have the contractions stopped?"
"You're fully dilated, you've done the hard part, it's not uncommon for the contractions to slow down or stop temporarily, when you do feel them again, they will likely feel different, you'll probably feel a lot of pressure, like you need to go the bathroom, and you'll probably feel a desire to push, work with that desire Andy and your baby will be here in no time." Caroline replies with a gentle smile.
Andy smiles with relief, then notices, as his senses continue to come back to him and he can focus on things other than riding out the peaks and troughs of his contractions, that he is distinctly uncomfortable in his current position, his knees are killing him after Lord knows how long kneeling on all fours on the cold tiles of the bathroom floor and the hand that isn't warped in Ed's is positioned at an awkward angle nod completely dead. He attempts to shift his weight in an effort to ease the discomfort but moving is almost impossible now, the baby's a dead weight between his legs.
"Andy?" Ed asks, a nervous smile on his face, "you're not going to try escaping again are you?"
For the first in hours Andy genuinely laughs, "no, I'm just bloody uncomfortable, me knees are killing me."
"How about we try the supported squat position," Caroline suggests, pulling herself up from her position on the floor, "it's great for pushing."
Self-prompt: Burnballs Mpreg - warning: birth!fic 1l/1
anonymous
May 8 2013, 01:58:46 UTC
Caroline and Ed help him stand and almost immediately Andy feels a contraction, his first in seven minutes begin to build, he leans heavily against Ed, barely able to take his own weight and breathes deeply. Caroline was right, it feels nothing like the horrible, uncontrollable endless waves of the first stage. This one begins at the top of his bump and he can feel it pushing the baby downwards as it moves down his uterus, at its peak the need to bear down returns and he pushes with it. He feels the baby move a little further down as he does so and then slip back when he stops. Pushing feels good. These contractions feel good. These contractions are doing something useful, bringing his baby slowly closer to the world. He is surprised to find himself feeling disappointed as the contraction slips away.
"Can I have some water?" Andy asks as he and Ed begin a slow shuffle across the room towards the comfy looking chair Caroline points to, "my mouth is really dry."
"Ice chips are probably better at this stage," Caroline says, "I'll get you some as soon as we get you in position, the dry mouth is a good sign, it means your hormones are working to help you deliver the baby."
...
Half an hour has passed and the urge to bear down has gone from being something he occasionally feels at the peak of contractions to an all-consuming need that makes itself known the second his belly begins to tighten and lingers briefly after the contractions have passed, pushing is only semi-voluntary and the sensation of the baby slowly moving down through his pelvis is strange and sometimes frightening but he feels in total control. The contractions have a pattern again, they come every two minutes and alternate between a mild contraction that lasts 30 seconds and much more powerful one that lasts about 90 seconds. At the end of the first stage of labour he'd been feeling exhausted and removed from anything other than the pain. Now he's full of energy and feeling alert and alive.
In between the contractions he leans back against Ed, his head resting on Ed's soft, familiar tummy, Ed occasionally runs a hand through Andy's hair and sometimes Andy talks. He describes what he is feeling, the increasing pressure, mostly when it starts to scare him and he needs reassurance or he'll say to Ed, "she'll be here soon, can you believe it?" Ed and Caroline offer words of encouragement in return. Sometimes he just looks up at Ed and feels overwhelmed by his love for him.
When the contractions come he leans forward, Ed supporting his weight and pushes in short bursts, taking a moment between each effort to adjust to the sensation of the baby moving downwards and the ever increasing pressure, Caroline stands off to the side, watching, offering the occasional word of support when the pressure becomes too painful and he tries to hold back. The pressure is accompanied by a burning, stretching sting now and Andy knows that means the baby is getting close, the stinging is harder to cope with than the pressure because it feels like his external opening is being split in two but he pushes through it, because all he can focus on now is that his baby is about to be born.
Self-prompt: Burnballs Mpreg - warning: birth!fic 1m/1
anonymous
May 8 2013, 02:01:14 UTC
15 more minutes pass and the burning sensation is constant, the baby, who had been slipping back slightly between contractions, isn't anymore, each time he pushes she moves downward a little more and the burning sensation becomes even more pronounced. He can feel the entrance of his external opening beginning to stretch and his anatomy becoming distorted. He is becoming less aware of what is going on around him as all his attention is channelled towards getting the baby out of his body and into his arms.
At some point Caroline has moved to be seated between his legs and Andy is suddenly aware of her voice, "Andy, if you reach down, you can feel her head, she's right there." He reaches down, getting his hand around his bump is awkward but he manages and Caroline guides his hand until his fingers brush up against a wet, wrinkly hardness. He half-laughs, half-cries as he strokes his fingers against his little girl's head, "oh my," he manages to whisper before the next contraction begins, he pushes and feels the baby's head move against his fingers, the stretching sensation at the entrance to his external opening is incredible, he is sure that if he pushes again his body will split in two but he keeps going, encouraged by the baby sliding down further into his hand. He screams as the baby's head begins to emerge from his body, the contraction dying away just as the widest part of her head is crowning.
"The pain will die away in a second," Caroline says reassuringly, "the baby's head will press on the nerves and everything will go numb. Now, when the next contraction comes, I want you to take deep breaths in through your nose and out through your mouth, don't push, just breath, you can keep your hand against her head and guide her out if you like." Andy looks up at Ed and smiles when Caroline says that, Ed smiles back and Andy can see his eyes are wet, Andy gives Ed's thigh a reassuring squeeze.
Resisting the urge to push when the next contraction arrives is almost impossible but he does as Caroline tells him and slowly the baby's head emerges into his hand, he can feel the features of her face against his hand and he can see the back of her head dangling from his body. "Look Ed!" he manages to say as the baby rotates in his pelvis, her face now facing toward his right thigh..
"Alright, you did so well," Caroline says, "on the next contraction you can push again."
Andy nods, rocking back and forth on his heels slightly as his impatience grows, the baby is so close now and waiting for the next contraction is frustrating, it finally starts to build and after two good pushes the baby slips from his body and into Caroline's waiting arms. The pain, the pressure and the burning instantly fade into nothingness and for the first time in hours he is pain free, he collapses between Ed's legs breathing a sigh of relief.
Self-prompt: Burnballs Mpreg - warning: birth!fic 1n/1 - fin
anonymous
May 8 2013, 02:03:05 UTC
The baby, less than happy at the sudden change in her circumstances wails as Caroline places her into his arms. She is the most beautiful creature he has ever seen. She is covered in gunk and blood, her head is oddly shaped and her face is scrunched-up as she screams but she is beautiful. Above him, Ed's breath is coming in gentle sobs.
"Hello little one," Andy whispers to the baby, "what are you fussing about? I bet you think it's scary out here." The baby seems to soothe slightly at the sound of his voice so he continues talking to her, "I'm Andy and I'm your dad," he lifts her up slightly positioning her Ed can see her and she can see Ed, "that's your other daddy, he's called Ed." Tears well up in Andy's eyes as he says that and he looks up at Ed, who is still crying as well, "oh my, Andy, you did it."
...
20 minutes pass, Caroline has checked the baby over and dried her off and Ed has moved to be seated by his side, together they examine every feature of their baby girl, neither of them can stop smiling as they drink her in. She has ten fingers and ten toes, head of thick black hair and large blue eyes which stare at them with intense curiosity. She has a tiny little nose that looks like neither of theirs and a dainty mouth with healthy red lips.
"She's perfect," Ed says as she clasps his thumb with her hand.
"I know," Andy replies
Andy is vaguely aware of a few, milder contractions rippling through his abdomen and Caroline instructs him to "give a little push." He does and a wet, squidgy thing slips free of his body.
"Ed, would you like to cut the cord?, Caroline asks.
Ed nods, taking the pair of scissors Caroline holds out to him, and cutting between the two cord ties Caroline has placed. With that the baby is now completely separate from his body and momentarily he feels a little lost. She had been a part of him for nine months and now she isn't. Ed repositions himself at Andy's side and Andy passes the baby to him.
Andy has never felt so content in all his 43 years. He is sore all over, covered in sweat and he has never felt so exhausted but with Ed beside him, holding their little girl in his arms, none of that matters. He feels overwhelmed by how much he loves both of them. Nothing that had concerned him before concerns him now.
...
They sit on the floor for a while longer before Caroline suggests a shower for Andy and a bath for the baby.
"Okay," Andy says, "just one more thing first, Ed, what are we going to call her?"
"I think she looks like a Julia, Julia Louise?"
Andy tries it, "Julia Louise," and nods, "it's perfect."
Re: Self-prompt: Burnballs Mpreg - warning: birth!fic 1n/1 - fin
anonymous
May 8 2013, 20:28:58 UTC
Wow, this is amazing! Anon doesn't usually read Burnballs, but thanks to the meme has discovered that she likes mpreg fic (go figure...). All Andy's emotions and the detail of the descriptions are just perfect! Everyone, or at least every lolitician, about to give birth should read this!
He reluctantly removes his pants and climbs onto the examination table, which is set in a semi-reclining position. Caroline starts by examining his male genitalia, "good, good" she says, "everything is in the right position." Andy releases a breath he didn't realise he'd been holding. He's read a couple of horror stories on the Internet. Some men's testes don't retract completely during the first stage of labour, making the second stage utterly excruciating, passing out from the pain is not unheard of.
Caroline then feels his stomach, feeling for the position of the baby's head. "The head is well engaged, everything feels good, now, can you lean back against the bed, bend your knees and let your legs fall open. I'll be as gentle as possible," she says, pulling on a fresh pair of rubber gloves.
Andy tries to keep his breathing steady as he moves into position, he knows this will be painful. Ed sits on the stool beside the exam table and grabs his hand, running his thumb in random patterns over his palm. Caroline's hand slips into his external opening at the same moment another wave of pain swells up and it is all too much, tears slip down his cheeks and his breath comes in loud, harsh sobs, Ed looks distressed and grips his hands harder, "I won't be too much longer," she says gently, "you are doing so well Andy,"
Ed leans over and wipes the tears from his cheeks, "I am so proud of you," he whispers.
Andy does not feel proud of himself. He does not feel that he is doing well. He feels like he is failing. Like he won't be able to cope with what is still to come. He can't stop crying now that he's started and he feels pathetic. Caroline finally finishes the exam and withdraws her hand, the contraction subsides and is free to move again but his sense of control is gone. He leans forward into Ed's strong, waiting arms, breath still coming in wracking sobs, Ed holds him tight, murmuring words of encouragement that Andy can't really make out into his ear and he feels a little safer.
He then becomes aware of Caroline touching him gently on the shoulder, "Andy, you're already 7cm dilated, I can stretch you to 8cm, you are 100% effaced, the baby is well engaged, your water is still in tact but I see no reason to break it artificially. You are entering transition. That is why everything feels so overwhelming right now, but trust me Andy, you are doing so well."
Andy nods in reply as another wave of pain, more intense again, builds.
Reply
"Where are you going Andy?"
Andy turns to face Ed and Caroline and for the first time in hours he feels in full control, "I'm going home," he says, his voice full of determination. He turns back towards the door and manages another six steps before a fresh wave of pain engulfs him, he doubles over, pressing a hand desperately into his public bone in an effort to fight off the pain with pressure, it fails miserably and he lets out a guttural shout of frustration. The pain eases off momentarily and Andy tries to straighten up, but before he can do so, the pain begin to build again and again hot tears stream down his face as he realises he is stuck.
Ed and Caroline are by his side within seconds and together they take his weight and half-carry, half-drag him back towards the birthing ball. "Do you want to take a shower?" Caroline asks calmly.
Andy nods.
...
For 15 minute the shower is pure bliss, he'd leant against the wall while Ed directed a firm jet of scalding water on his aching back, the contractions had continued, just as intense as before, but in the shower they had seemed more manageable.
Then the shaking started. His whole body is quivering uncontrollably, his teeth are chattering and his legs feel like they are gong to collapse from under him, a wave of nausea swiftly follows the onset of the shaking and suddenly every touch is excruciatingly intense. Any sense of control he had slips away, Turn the water off, please" he manages to force out in a lull between contractions, his voice shaky. The wave of nausea builds with the next contraction and he heaves uncontrollably as it peaks, spitting a small amount of acidic bile from his mouth as the wave recedes, "oh God," he sobs, pushing Ed away from him, "please don't touch me, too much.".
"What can I do?" Ed asks.
Andy shakes his head, he honestly doesn't know the answer to Ed's question.
He is vaguely aware that Caroline is standing behind him, "Andy, can you come out of the shower cubicle for me? It's time to check the baby's heart rate again."
Andy manages to step out of the shower and take a couple of steps before his legs start to give way, Caroline guides him to the ground gently, helping him into position on his hands and knees, Andy can hear Caroline and Ed talking, distant and fuzzy, he is only hearing snatches of the conversation and of the steady woosh of the Doppler, Ed sounds concerned, he asks if transition usually takes this long and Caroline reassures him that everything is normal. Andy feels almost as if he is outside of his mind, the only certainties are the ebb and flow of the contractions, the nausea and the shaking, everything else could be imagined.
Reply
He is momentarily worried that he has pissed himself before Caroline says, "the water is clear, it won't be long now," the contraction tapers off and all his other aches and pains seem to be lessening too, He feels stronger and more in control than he has in hours. For the first time since getting out of the shower, he seeks out Ed's touch, reaching out towards him, Ed hesitantly grips Andy's hand and they both wait for a wave of pain that doesn't come.
"Caroline?" Andy asks after a couple of minutes, his voice slightly tinged with panic, "why have the contractions stopped?"
"You're fully dilated, you've done the hard part, it's not uncommon for the contractions to slow down or stop temporarily, when you do feel them again, they will likely feel different, you'll probably feel a lot of pressure, like you need to go the bathroom, and you'll probably feel a desire to push, work with that desire Andy and your baby will be here in no time." Caroline replies with a gentle smile.
Andy smiles with relief, then notices, as his senses continue to come back to him and he can focus on things other than riding out the peaks and troughs of his contractions, that he is distinctly uncomfortable in his current position, his knees are killing him after Lord knows how long kneeling on all fours on the cold tiles of the bathroom floor and the hand that isn't warped in Ed's is positioned at an awkward angle nod completely dead. He attempts to shift his weight in an effort to ease the discomfort but moving is almost impossible now, the baby's a dead weight between his legs.
"Andy?" Ed asks, a nervous smile on his face, "you're not going to try escaping again are you?"
For the first in hours Andy genuinely laughs, "no, I'm just bloody uncomfortable, me knees are killing me."
"How about we try the supported squat position," Caroline suggests, pulling herself up from her position on the floor, "it's great for pushing."
"Sounds good," Andy replies.
Reply
"Can I have some water?" Andy asks as he and Ed begin a slow shuffle across the room towards the comfy looking chair Caroline points to, "my mouth is really dry."
"Ice chips are probably better at this stage," Caroline says, "I'll get you some as soon as we get you in position, the dry mouth is a good sign, it means your hormones are working to help you deliver the baby."
...
Half an hour has passed and the urge to bear down has gone from being something he occasionally feels at the peak of contractions to an all-consuming need that makes itself known the second his belly begins to tighten and lingers briefly after the contractions have passed, pushing is only semi-voluntary and the sensation of the baby slowly moving down through his pelvis is strange and sometimes frightening but he feels in total control. The contractions have a pattern again, they come every two minutes and alternate between a mild contraction that lasts 30 seconds and much more powerful one that lasts about 90 seconds. At the end of the first stage of labour he'd been feeling exhausted and removed from anything other than the pain. Now he's full of energy and feeling alert and alive.
In between the contractions he leans back against Ed, his head resting on Ed's soft, familiar tummy, Ed occasionally runs a hand through Andy's hair and sometimes Andy talks. He describes what he is feeling, the increasing pressure, mostly when it starts to scare him and he needs reassurance or he'll say to Ed, "she'll be here soon, can you believe it?" Ed and Caroline offer words of encouragement in return. Sometimes he just looks up at Ed and feels overwhelmed by his love for him.
When the contractions come he leans forward, Ed supporting his weight and pushes in short bursts, taking a moment between each effort to adjust to the sensation of the baby moving downwards and the ever increasing pressure, Caroline stands off to the side, watching, offering the occasional word of support when the pressure becomes too painful and he tries to hold back. The pressure is accompanied by a burning, stretching sting now and Andy knows that means the baby is getting close, the stinging is harder to cope with than the pressure because it feels like his external opening is being split in two but he pushes through it, because all he can focus on now is that his baby is about to be born.
Reply
At some point Caroline has moved to be seated between his legs and Andy is suddenly aware of her voice, "Andy, if you reach down, you can feel her head, she's right there." He reaches down, getting his hand around his bump is awkward but he manages and Caroline guides his hand until his fingers brush up against a wet, wrinkly hardness. He half-laughs, half-cries as he strokes his fingers against his little girl's head, "oh my," he manages to whisper before the next contraction begins, he pushes and feels the baby's head move against his fingers, the stretching sensation at the entrance to his external opening is incredible, he is sure that if he pushes again his body will split in two but he keeps going, encouraged by the baby sliding down further into his hand. He screams as the baby's head begins to emerge from his body, the contraction dying away just as the widest part of her head is crowning.
"The pain will die away in a second," Caroline says reassuringly, "the baby's head will press on the nerves and everything will go numb. Now, when the next contraction comes, I want you to take deep breaths in through your nose and out through your mouth, don't push, just breath, you can keep your hand against her head and guide her out if you like." Andy looks up at Ed and smiles when Caroline says that, Ed smiles back and Andy can see his eyes are wet, Andy gives Ed's thigh a reassuring squeeze.
Resisting the urge to push when the next contraction arrives is almost impossible but he does as Caroline tells him and slowly the baby's head emerges into his hand, he can feel the features of her face against his hand and he can see the back of her head dangling from his body. "Look Ed!" he manages to say as the baby rotates in his pelvis, her face now facing toward his right thigh..
"Alright, you did so well," Caroline says, "on the next contraction you can push again."
Andy nods, rocking back and forth on his heels slightly as his impatience grows, the baby is so close now and waiting for the next contraction is frustrating, it finally starts to build and after two good pushes the baby slips from his body and into Caroline's waiting arms. The pain, the pressure and the burning instantly fade into nothingness and for the first time in hours he is pain free, he collapses between Ed's legs breathing a sigh of relief.
Reply
"Hello little one," Andy whispers to the baby, "what are you fussing about? I bet you think it's scary out here." The baby seems to soothe slightly at the sound of his voice so he continues talking to her, "I'm Andy and I'm your dad," he lifts her up slightly positioning her Ed can see her and she can see Ed, "that's your other daddy, he's called Ed." Tears well up in Andy's eyes as he says that and he looks up at Ed, who is still crying as well, "oh my, Andy, you did it."
...
20 minutes pass, Caroline has checked the baby over and dried her off and Ed has moved to be seated by his side, together they examine every feature of their baby girl, neither of them can stop smiling as they drink her in. She has ten fingers and ten toes, head of thick black hair and large blue eyes which stare at them with intense curiosity. She has a tiny little nose that looks like neither of theirs and a dainty mouth with healthy red lips.
"She's perfect," Ed says as she clasps his thumb with her hand.
"I know," Andy replies
Andy is vaguely aware of a few, milder contractions rippling through his abdomen and Caroline instructs him to "give a little push." He does and a wet, squidgy thing slips free of his body.
"Ed, would you like to cut the cord?, Caroline asks.
Ed nods, taking the pair of scissors Caroline holds out to him, and cutting between the two cord ties Caroline has placed. With that the baby is now completely separate from his body and momentarily he feels a little lost. She had been a part of him for nine months and now she isn't. Ed repositions himself at Andy's side and Andy passes the baby to him.
Andy has never felt so content in all his 43 years. He is sore all over, covered in sweat and he has never felt so exhausted but with Ed beside him, holding their little girl in his arms, none of that matters. He feels overwhelmed by how much he loves both of them. Nothing that had concerned him before concerns him now.
...
They sit on the floor for a while longer before Caroline suggests a shower for Andy and a bath for the baby.
"Okay," Andy says, "just one more thing first, Ed, what are we going to call her?"
"I think she looks like a Julia, Julia Louise?"
Andy tries it, "Julia Louise," and nods, "it's perfect."
Reply
<3
Reply
Leave a comment