Becky continued to gain weight over the next three weeks. The added weight restricted her in what she could comfortably wear. Most of her clothes wouldn't fit at all anymore. She decided to ask Jackie.
"Hey aunt Jackie...you're a larger size than I am..."
"Well this doesn't sound like a nice conversation!"
"I didn't mean it like that. I was just wondering if I could borrow some clothes."
"You want to borrow old aunt Jackie's clothes?"
"Almost nothing in my closet fits anymore."
"You need maternity clothes."
"I don't have the money for new stuff. Especially new stuff that I'll only wear for the next four months. Actually, not even four months now. I have fourteen weeks left!"
"WOW fourteen more weeks." Jackie replied. "How exciting! It's going to be here before you know it! I'll buy you some stuff."
"You don't have to do that!" Becky replied, "I'll be okay if I can just borrow some larger sizes."
"Nope we are going to buy you some new clothes. I love going maternity shopping. And baby shopping! While we're at the store, let's travel down the baby section!"
"You and your wallet can travel wherever you want." Becky teased.
"Let's go."
Jackie drove to the store and the two began walking the aisles.
"I just need a solid white shirt for my uniform at the restaurant. And it needs to be big enough that I can keep growing into it."
"So you're normally a small...so maybe if you want growing room, we should go with a medium. A lot of maternity clothes grow with you, too."
Jackie held up a white shirt. "What else do you need, Becky?"
"I don't know...maybe one pants and one more shirt?"
"Oh PUH-LEASE." Jackie replied. "You have to have more than that."
"But it's too expensive. I don't want you spending so much money."
"But I WANT to spend that money. You will wear maternity clothes after the birth, too. Whether you give birth naturally or by c-section, you'll wear them for a couple of months after. Your body does not shrink back overnight, and while you heal you'll need comfortable clothes."
Becky sighed. She tried to at least find clothes that were cheaper. After finding enough clothes, they then started walking down the baby aisles.
"Oh you are going to need one of these!" Jackie announced.
"What is it?"
"It's a healthcare kit! It's got a little baby comb, and a hair brush, and little clippers so you can cut the baby's fingernails. Oh! And a thermometer for when the baby is sick. You definitely need this!" Jackie tossed it in her cart.
"Oh! See these?! These are your new best friends!" Jackie said, tossing another item into her cart.
"Pacifiers are my new best friends?"
"Yeah! You will not believe how much you'll get done if you put a pacifier in that baby's mouth."
"Can't you just put a baby down and walk away?"
Jackie laughed. "Ah, Becky, you have a lot to learn."
"I always put Harris down and walked away. Mark and Mary, too." Becky argued.
"Yes but there's a fine difference between those babies, and this baby. You weren't mom to those babies. You're mommy now! As mommy, if you put a baby down and walk away, most babies will scream like they're being murdered."
"Oh. I don't want that! I never even thought about the differences between being a mom and being an aunt."
"That's why the pacifiers become your new best friends! You pop that sucker into that baby's mouth and you can have a few minutes of peace to go to the bathroom or do whatever you need to do without a baby attached to your arm."
"You didn't have to spend this much money on me and the baby. Thank you aunt Jackie."
"Oh you know what...we need to buy you a bottled water, too." Jackie said, opening the refrigerator next to the registers.
After Jackie paid for everything, she handed Becky the water. "Drink!"
"Okay...Okay. Geez. I feel like everybody is my doctor now."
"We care about you and the baby, we all want to do our part to make sure you stay pregnant for awhile. We want you as big and uncomfortable as possible before that baby arrives. The baby needs at least twelve more weeks."
"Eleven." Becky corrected. "I had this conversation with my doctor. My doctor said thirty-seven weeks is considered full term, so that's what we are aiming for. And we talked about premature labor. Right now, a baby born at this point has a 75% chance of survival. Three weeks ago when I was only twenty-three weeks, the odds were 50/50 that the baby would survive that early."
"I'm glad you're having these conversations with your doctor." Jackie replied.
"Yeah, the hospital here isn't equipped to handle a baby under thirty weeks, so if something happens and they can't get it under control, they would send me by ambulance to Chicago and I would have the baby there. The hospitals in Chicago are much more equipped to handle premature babies. The medical staff is more highly skilled. ...So there's a whole game plan in case baby comes early. I'm hoping we don't have to use that game plan, but we do have it."
After getting home, Becky walked into the living room where Harris was sitting on the couch, with a textbook open.
"Whatcha doing?"
"I'm doing my human sexuality homework." Harris replied. "Hey, you might be interested. We have to watch this video showing birth and then write an essay about it. I was just about to turn on the video."
"Alright, that sounds fun." Becky agreed, plopping down next to her on the couch. "I'm more than halfway through this pregnancy. It'll be good for me to see what I'm up against..."
Harris grabbed the remote and flipped the tv on.
"Oh my god, look at all the blood."
Becky put one hand on her stomach. "I can't believe they show you stuff like this in high school!"
"Isn't it great?!" Harris replied, "Check out how much blood you're gonna lose when you have your baby."
"Yeah, you know, this maybe isn't as fun as I was hoping."
"Oh my god aunt Becky. Don't worry. I'll wipe the sweat and tears off your face. As long as I don't gotta see what's going on down there...gross..."
"Trust me, aunt Becky doesn't intend for you to see anything going on down there. You are more than welcome to see your cousin be born, as long as you watch from the doorway or somewhere where you can't see my parts."
"Ew. The mental images from this conversation are gonna screw me up for life. Now I have mental images of you in labor and me seeing way more than I ever want to."
"I will make sure that doesn't happen...Oh my god! Why is the camera going there?!"
Harris chuckled. "There's so much to see there, aunt Becky!"
"I'm going to complain to the school district, you should not be watching this!"
"Whatcha doing?" Darlene asked.
"Harris' homework." Becky replied. "Watching a video about the miracle of birth."
"Yeah? Spoiler alert: the only miracle is how anybody can survive the god awful pain!"
"Thanks Darlene."
"Just say yes to the drugs as soon as they offer them."
"Actually, I kinda wanted to do it without drugs. I'm worried that the drugs would not be good for my addictive personality."
"Oh just wait till you get there. You'll be screaming for drugs."
"Well thanks for your support!"
"I'm just saying. I bet you twenty bucks that regardless of how you plan it out, you'll end up taking something for the pain."
"Twenty bucks plus if I win, a months supply of diapers."
"You're on."
"And I want the expensive organic diapers."
Darlene chuckled, "I'm not worried. Did you notice all the blood?"
"I'm not scared of a little blood, a little sweat and maybe even a few tears, sis."
"I should bet you more. I've been through it twice. You're an amateur."
"I'm more pain tolerant than you." Becky shot back.
"I suggest you read up on natural childbirth. And watch videos. And go to a lamaze class."
"I don't need a lamaze class, I know how to breathe."
Darlene laughed.
A/N: Who do you think will win the bet? Becky with her determined approach? Darlene with her realistic, experienced approach? Drop me your comments! :)