(Untitled)

[claire_fraser]

It was a relatively quiet evening in the clinic - not that I was complaining. I had brought a plate of food from the party to the clinic, and I sat at the desk to eat it in relative peace. I could still hear the singing machine from inside the clinic, but that was fine. What the singers lacked in skill they made up in enthusiasm, and it was

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[pambeesley]

Pam had been having a wonderful time at the party, of course. Even with her husband drunker than.. well, he was just pretty drunk. At least it was in an amusing way and not a completely obnoxious one. Still, she was starting to get a little claustrophobic and decided to step out into the hall. When she found that also pretty crowded, she wandered down towards the clinic.

She was pleased when she spotted Claire and figured it wouldn't be a bad time to ask her a few things. It was highly unlikely that they'd be bothered by anyone, at least.

[claire_fraser]

"Hello, Pam," I said, looking up from my bottle of pop. "Trying to get away from the noise of the party?" Parties weren't always the most entertaining occasions when everyone else was drunk.

[pambeesley]

"Just for a little," she admitted, tapping her fingers against her glass of sparkling juice. "Got too stuffy." She hesitated for a moment, but then sat down in one of the chairs opposite the desk.

"I was wondering.. Um. I just.. Could I ask you a question?"

[claire_fraser]

"Of course," I said, leaning my elbows on the desk. "Anytime. Is something bothering you?"

[pambeesley]

"No, nothing like that," she assured her. "I was just curious, because Jim and I were talking about it the other day.. How long until the baby's big enough for me to feel it moving?" She blushed when she asked, feeling, for some reason, like it was a silly question.

[claire_fraser]

"It depends," I told her. "It usually takes a little while for first-time mothers to feel it, because they often aren't sure what it is they really feel. It's a bit like like gas, sometimes, like..." I held up the glass bottle of pop in illustration. "Like the tiny bubbles in here. A tickle, almost. It's probably a bit early for you to feel any of that just yet, but it won't be long. With my first pregnancy it was around three and a half months before I felt it, but with my second it was a bit earlier, mostly because I recognised it earlier." I put the bottle down again. "And you'll be able to feel it before Jim will. It takes a little longer for the baby to be strong enough to kick hard enough to be felt from the outside."

[pambeesley]

Pam looked a little relieved at her reply and nodded. "Okay. Cool. I figured it was too early, but I wanted to ask anyway.. And um."

She shifted in the chair slightly, crossing one leg over the other. "I've been feeling a little uh.." She gestured to her chest vaguely, a blush rising on her cheeks. "Soreness, I guess. Not that bad, but.. enough to be noticeable.. Especially if I um. Bump into something or.. something. Is that.. normal?"

[claire_fraser]

"Totally," I assured her. "It's just your hormones kicking into gear in preparation for making milk. It'll come and go and shouldn't get too uncomfortable; you'll mostly get used to it. And you'll probably find you need a different bra size in another few weeks. Not drastically so, but you'll be a little more comfortable." Her questions reminded me so much of the things Brianna had asked when she was pregnant with Jemmy.

[pambeesley]

"Oh, good," she breathed, sighing in relief. "As long as that's supposed to happen," she added with a bit of a nervous laugh.

[claire_fraser]

"Everything you're describing is perfectly normal," I told her, grinning. "I promise. I know it doesn't feel that way, because it's almost like your body's been taken over and it's doing all these strange things - but really, it is." I rolled my bottle of Coca-Cola between my fingers. "And I don't mind the questions, even if you think they're silly or unimportant. It's part of the job."

[pambeesley]

She blushed again and nodded. "Thanks, Dr. Fraser. I really appreciate it. I just.. I don't really have anyone else to ask about this stuff. I mean.. there's Padme, but I don't really want to bother her with it since she's got Sola to take care of all the time now.."

[claire_fraser]

"I know what you mean," I told her. "It's the sort of thing you usually ask a mother or a sister, the kind of thing the pregnancy books don't always mention. When I was pregnant I didn't have anyone to ask - my parents died when I was very young, and I had no sisters. Same for my husband's family. It was very stressful. So trust me, I understand."

[pambeesley]

Pam smiled shyly and nodded again. "Yeah," she replied, then, a moment later, stood up. "I should probably get back. Lord only knows what Jim's gotten up to while I've been gone."