who could ever leave you darling
Apr 15, 2022 11:20:03 GMT -5
Post by stiles on Apr 15, 2022 11:20:03 GMT -5
Stiles opens his mouth to clarify that just because they call Nat doesn’t mean they have to go see Nat, but Malia lifts her shirt before he has the chance. And immediately, it’s obvious why she didn’t want to feed the baby. Her nipples are red and raw. He can see where they’re cracked, and there’s just a little bit of dried blood left behind on her right nipple. It’s not so different from that very first week when he was constantly biting his tongue to keep from telling her they could always switch to formula. Ava was a great nurser, but Malia’s body had needed time to adjust, and it had been a painful process. Still, Stiles had been under the impression that they left behind the worst of it weeks ago. Now, though, she looks just as sore as she did then. And he’s grateful for the bottle in his hand in a very real way.
He winces as she pulls her shirt back down, sighing as she says she’ll have to pump soon. “Won’t that hurt too?” he asks. It’s obvious that she’s engorged, a word he’s learned thanks to the internet, and Ava won’t be hungry again before Malia reaches the point of being way too uncomfortable. But there’s something about the hard plastic of the pump that makes it seem like it would be worse than Ava’s tiny mouth. Before she can say anything, he makes a mental note to search as soon as he has a free hand. Surely, there has to be a better option to relieve that pressure without causing more discomfort.
But if Malia is worried about it, it doesn’t show as she continues to stare down at the baby. Stiles follows her gaze down to Ava where she’s still sucking greedily at the bottle. Her eyes are closed now, a look of pure bliss on her face, and Stiles is struck for the millionth time by how simple it is to make her happy. She’s been the most content baby, at least for these first two weeks of her life, and even with the bottle, she seems to have adjusted no problem. He’s about to say this aloud when Malia voices her concern aloud. And just like that, she has all his attention again.
“Oh, Mal,” he says as he looks back up at her. “She won’t. We’ll make sure of that.” But Malia doesn’t appear to be convinced. She worries her bottom lip as she stares at Ava. Stiles wishes that it didn’t take both of his hands to feed the baby so he could loop an arm around her waist and pull her closer, squeezing her hip as he reassured her that the baby wouldn’t forget all about nursing just because they gave her one bottle. “Remember, Scott said that as long as she had a bottle in the first mouth, she shouldn’t have an issue going between nipples.”
Malia nods, but the worry is still evident on her face. And Ava chooses that moment to start choking. She coughs in a way that immediately catches his attention. Her face is red and angry as she flails her tiny arms, milk spilling down the side of her mouth. “Okay, Ava,” he says as calmly as possible as he pulls the bottle from her mouth, sitting her up on his lap. She coughs again, more milk spilling from her mouth before she starts to fuss, clearly still hungry. He wipes her mouth with the bib she’s wearing before gently laying her back down in his arms and offering her the nipple again before turning his attention back to Malia. “You should text Braden about some kind of cream,” he tells her, eyes moving between her and the baby now to make sure Ava doesn’t choose to start choking again. “I can run out tonight and grab whatever you need.”
He winces as she pulls her shirt back down, sighing as she says she’ll have to pump soon. “Won’t that hurt too?” he asks. It’s obvious that she’s engorged, a word he’s learned thanks to the internet, and Ava won’t be hungry again before Malia reaches the point of being way too uncomfortable. But there’s something about the hard plastic of the pump that makes it seem like it would be worse than Ava’s tiny mouth. Before she can say anything, he makes a mental note to search as soon as he has a free hand. Surely, there has to be a better option to relieve that pressure without causing more discomfort.
But if Malia is worried about it, it doesn’t show as she continues to stare down at the baby. Stiles follows her gaze down to Ava where she’s still sucking greedily at the bottle. Her eyes are closed now, a look of pure bliss on her face, and Stiles is struck for the millionth time by how simple it is to make her happy. She’s been the most content baby, at least for these first two weeks of her life, and even with the bottle, she seems to have adjusted no problem. He’s about to say this aloud when Malia voices her concern aloud. And just like that, she has all his attention again.
“Oh, Mal,” he says as he looks back up at her. “She won’t. We’ll make sure of that.” But Malia doesn’t appear to be convinced. She worries her bottom lip as she stares at Ava. Stiles wishes that it didn’t take both of his hands to feed the baby so he could loop an arm around her waist and pull her closer, squeezing her hip as he reassured her that the baby wouldn’t forget all about nursing just because they gave her one bottle. “Remember, Scott said that as long as she had a bottle in the first mouth, she shouldn’t have an issue going between nipples.”
Malia nods, but the worry is still evident on her face. And Ava chooses that moment to start choking. She coughs in a way that immediately catches his attention. Her face is red and angry as she flails her tiny arms, milk spilling down the side of her mouth. “Okay, Ava,” he says as calmly as possible as he pulls the bottle from her mouth, sitting her up on his lap. She coughs again, more milk spilling from her mouth before she starts to fuss, clearly still hungry. He wipes her mouth with the bib she’s wearing before gently laying her back down in his arms and offering her the nipple again before turning his attention back to Malia. “You should text Braden about some kind of cream,” he tells her, eyes moving between her and the baby now to make sure Ava doesn’t choose to start choking again. “I can run out tonight and grab whatever you need.”