2 Weeks Later
A loud cry rang throughout the bedroom of Niccolo and Sasha, causing both of the new parents to snap awake. Sasha went to get up but Niccolo stopped her, "I'll bring her to you" he whispered tiredly.
Sasha said nothing but hummed in response, as she gingerly sat up and leaned against the headboard of their shared bedroom. Niccolo then came over and gently set the whimpering baby in Sasha's open arms.
The baby was still crying as Sasha cradled her close to her chest and Niccolo ran his thumb across her red cheeks, in an attempt to soothe her. But once she began nursing, the room became quiet and a wave of relief washed over them all.
"She's always so hungry" Sasha said with a huff.
"I wonder who she gets that from" Niccolo said with a loving roll of his light brown eyes.
Two weeks ago, Sasha and Niccolo had been out on a walk together whenever Sasha's water broke. Naturally, Sasha began panicking and Niccolo ran back to their home as fast as he could and came back on their horse drawn carriage.
Niccolo helped Sasha into the back of the carriage and made sure she was as comfortable as possible. "We'll be at the hospital before you know it" Niccolo assured her breathlessly, as he pressed a kiss to her cheek and then got into the driver's seat.
Sasha's labor lasted over five hours and was incredibly painful for her, despite the medicine and Niccolo being right by her side. Dauper's medical technology wasn't advanced but when Sasha wasn't progressing, the doctors knew that the baby was either too large to move through the birth canal or not in the proper position to do so.
The doctors made the decision for Sasha to have an emergency c-section, and the couple was in shock and barely had time to process the change in plans. But the doctors worked fast and thirty minutes later, a piercing cry echoed throughout the hospital room.
"It's a girl!" The doctor announced happily.
Niccolo and Sasha both couldn't help the tears that fell from their eyes when they heard those words. They tried to get a look at their daughter but she was taken by the nurses to be cleaned and given a check up.
Niccolo could see the apprehension on Sasha's face as she watched her baby be taken in the opposite direction, "We'll see her soon honey, they just need to make sure she's okay" Niccolo said softly, while brushing the stray hairs from her forehead.
"I know, I just really want to hold her" Sasha said back through her tears.
Soon after Sasha was stitched back up and taken to a small room with her husband, a nurse came in and placed their baby on Sasha's chest. Tears came to their eyes once more when they saw their baby girl up close for the first time.
She had wispy brown hair on her head that was the same color as Sasha's, and the same light brown eyes as Niccolo. She had chubby cheeks and little rolls on her arms and legs, they also learned that she was 10.2 pounds and one of the biggest babies the hospital had ever delivered.
The couple shared a laugh at this information and kept fawning over their baby girl as the day went on.
"So what do you think for a name?" Niccolo asked, as he held their daughter close and listened to her tiny snores.
"I like the last one we talked about" Sasha said softly, enjoying the view of her husband and daughter together.
"Sara? I like that one too, it fits her well" Niccolo agreed proudly, while placing a feather light kiss to her small forehead.
Two days later, Sasha and Sara were discharged and they arrived home and were welcomed by Sasha's parents and Kaya. They all took turns holding Sara and asking about her, and Kaya was so happy to see her niece in the beanie she knit for her.
Niccolo and Sasha sent out letters of Sara's arrival to their closest friends, which included a picture of Sara along with the time she was born and her height and weight.
Soone after, Connie sent back a letter congratulating them and also making a joke about Sara being "well done".
Armin and Annie sent back a letter as well, saying how beautiful Sara was and that they were looking forward to seeing them the next time they came to Trost.
Jean and Mikasa sent their congratulations along with a gift receipt to a baby store in Trost. And Mikasa also asked if it would be okay for them to come and visit in a couple weeks.
Sasha quickly wrote back and said that she, Jean and Aiko could all come over and visit at the end of next week.
Once Sasha's parents and Kaya went home, the couple began to try and create a routine for themselves and Sara to follow. Which proved to be much harder than they could have ever expected, since they were still learning all of Sara's cues.
Sara needed to eat every two hours, and often had to be woken up to eat which caused her to be fussy no matter how gently Niccolo or Sasha woke her up. But throughout this process, the couple found that Sara was a very cuddly baby and that holding her close was the best way to calm her.
Niccolo took to fatherhood quickly and did everything he could for Sara, while also helping Sasha recover from her c-section. Sasha was having a harder time adjusting to being a mother, her entire life had changed so quickly and she found it difficult to keep up with.
Breastfeeding was also tough for her and Niccolo tried to assure his wife that it was okay for Sara to have formula once or twice a day. But Sasha just wanted the best for Sara and she couldn't help but stress about it even though she knew Niccolo was right.
But when Sara was full and sleeping peacefully in Sasha's arms, it made all the stress worth it.
Now it was the morning that Jean, Mikasa and Aiko were coming over and both Niccolo and Sasha were scrambling to try and clean up their home.
There were piles of dirty clothes in their laundry room, toys scattered across the living room floor, bottles that needed to be washed in the sink, the house was a mess.
"I hope they don't mind the mess Nico, they should understand right?" Sasha asked anxiously, while swaying back and forth with Sara in her arms.
"Of course they will, I'm sure they went through this same thing when Aiko was born" Niccolo said, while tossing a stuffed animal into a woven basket.
Niccolo then went over to his wife and pressed a soft kiss to her lips, "How do you feel today?" he asked, while placing his forehead against her own.
"I'm still sore all over but it's getting better" Sasha said warmly before adding, "How are you feeling Papa?" with a cheeky smile.
"I've never been better Mama" Niccolo teased back, causing a blush to spread on Sasha's cheeks.
The couple smiled at each other and went to answer the door, they were greeted by Jean who was holding Aiko with Mikasa standing next to him.
"Long time no see" Jean said, as he shook Niccolo's hand and then gave Sasha a hug.
"I'm so glad you're both here! But I know who you're really here to see" Sasha said with a grin, while readjusting Sara in her arms so they could see her better.
"She really is the perfect combination of you both" Mikasa pointed out, as she lightly poked one of Sara's chubby cheeks.
"Aiko, say hi to your new friend Sara" Jean said in a lighthearted voice while facing her towards Sara.
Aiko peered down at Sara and tapped her hand on her stomach, at this Sara twitched and scrunched up her face but didn't wake up. Aiko squealed at her response and buried her face into Jean's neck.
They all couldn't help but laugh at the girl's first interaction, "Looks like they're best friends now" Jean declared with a smile.
Niccolo showed Mikasa and Jean around the house while Sasha changed Sara's diaper. Once they joined them again they all took a seat in the living room and spent the next couple hours talking with each other.
When it was nearing lunchtime, Niccolo and Jean went outside to grill some meat that Nicoolo had prepared the night before.
Now that it was just Mikasa and Sasha and their babies, the two women felt they could speak more freely.
"I'm so glad you're here, everything has been changing so much and being around someone who I trust and understand what I'm feeling really helps" Sasha confessed, feeling her eyes start to tear up.
"Of course and don't ever hesitate to reach out to me if you ever need help with Sara or just someone to talk to" Mikasa said, while giving Sasha's shoulder a squeeze.
Sasha nodded and wiped her eyes before Mikasa spoke again, "So how did your labor go?" she asked, while turning to face Sasha.
So Sasha began telling Mikasa everything that happened from her water breaking to the emergency c-section. "I did what you said and just kept thinking about how it was all going to be worth it when I held her for the first time, and it really was" Sasha beamed, while running hand over Sara's hair as she peered up towards her.
"There really is no other feeling like it, how did Niccolo handle it all?" Mikasa asked.
Sasha was about to answer but was cut off by Sara starting to whimper loudly and squirm in her hold, "I'm sorry, she must be hungry" Sasha said, while looking around her for a cover up so she could feed Sara.
"I'll go grab one for you, where do you keep the covers?" Mikasa asked promptly, while standing up with Aiko.
"In the closet, on top of the linens" Sasha told her, while trying to keep Sara calm.
Mikasa went and got the cover for Sasha, who quickly placed it over her and Sara. And once Sara was quiet and eating, Sasha let out a sigh of relief.
"Back to what we were talking about before, Niccolo was great during labor. He never left my side and he kept encouraging me even when I just wanted to give up because it was so painful" Sasha said gratefully, her mind drifting back to that day.
"I'm happy he was there for you, especially since you were doing all the heavy lifting" Mikasa joked dryly.
The two women shared a laugh and then continued talking while Sara finished eating, and Mikasa offered to burp her.
"Are you sure? Don't feel inclined to or anything" Sasha fretted, while wiping some milk from Sara's face with a cloth.
"Nonsense I want to, and I think Aiko wants to sit with you now" Mikasa said, as she stood up with Aiko who was making grabby hands at Sasha.
"I guess I can't refuse now" Sasha said with a giggle.
Mikasa laid Aiko down on Sasha's lap and then gently picked up Sara and laid her across her shoulder. While Sasha picked up Aiko and sat her upright on her lap, "Hi pretty girl" Sasha cooed which caused Aiko to squeal in delight.
"She loves compliments, Jean always spoils her with them" Mikasa said, as she lightly patted Sara on the back continuously.
"Niccolo does too with Sara, I can't believe some of the stuff he comes up with" Sasha said, as she began listing all her favorite terms of endearment that Niccolo has for their daughter.
A while later, Jean and Niccolo came back inside with the meat along with a few other sides and they all ate lunch together. Then after lunch, they went on a walk around Dauper and Sasha showed them all her favorite spots and places to go.
When they arrived back, it was late afternoon and Aiko was fussing and whimpering in Mikasa's arms. "I'd like us to stay longer but I think Aiko is ready to head home" Jean said, while rubbing the back of his neck.
"Oh we understand, we're just glad you three spent the day with us" Niccolo said genuinely.
"Same here, our home is always welcome to you all as well" Mikasa told them.
They all said their goodbyes and Sasha couldn't help but tear up as she watched two of her closest friends leave. Niccolo saw this and wrapped his arm around her shoulders and murmured into her hair, "You'll see them again soon, I promise. But you need to rest after all that walking, you're still recovering from birth" and guided her to their room.
Before getting in bed, Niccolo wrapped Sara in a light blue swaddle and then placed her in the bassinet on Sasha's side of the bed. Niccolo then got into bed next to Sasha who was trying her best to stay awake.
"Did you enjoy today?" Niccolo asked quietly, while running his hand up and down her side.
Sasha scooted closer to him before answering, "I did, seeing Jean and Aiko was nice and talking to Mikasa about some stuff made me feel a lot better" as she reached out and grabbed onto his shirt.
"I'm glad, I know Sara's arrival has been hard on you mentally but we're all here for you" Niccolo promised, while kissing her forehead.
Sasha then kissed his jaw and nuzzled her face into his shoulder, "Let's sleep now Papa" she whispered sleepily.
Niccolo hummed in agreement, and they both drifted off to sleep along with Sara.