The baby shower was above all seeing the old team again. Sam had told them before that there wouldn't be any decorations in the house and that the food and drinks were ordered. She just wanted to spend time with them.
They arrived all at the same time and of course confusion was installed. After the initial greetings and all, they sat in the living room with their drinks. Daniel was the first to give his present.
"Here", he said extending a nicely wrapped gift.
Sam took it and started to unwrapped it.
"How surprising, Daniel. A baby book!" she said with a smile.
"Well it's educational", he said drinking his beer.
"Here Colonel Carter", said Teal'c giving her a small pack with a red ribbon.
"Thanks, Teal'c", said Sam feeling the light weight gift.
"It's a traditional baby blanket from Chulak", said Teal'c without waiting for Sam to unwrapped it.
"Come on Teal'c you have to wait for Sam to open it. You can't tell her before!", protested Cameron.
Sam smiled. "It's OK, Cam. It's a very beautiful blanket, Teal'c", she said.
"Yeah T. Nice and warm", Jack said feeling the soft material.
"OK now mine", Cameron said handling them a big box.
"I'll take this", Jack said.
"I can only say it's practical and I like to think ahead", Cam said with a smile.
Vala was sat next to Sam.
"Are we playing charades now?", she asked in a low voice.
"No", Sam said as Jack opened the box and took a very nice high tech stroller.
"It's suited for your outdoor running", Cam said looking at Sam.
"Jezz…thanks Cam. Nice way to call me fat", she said with a smile.
Cameron started to get red.
"That's not what I meant…", he said with a confused expression.
Daniel drank the rest of his beer.
"She's teasing you", he offered.
"Oh, right", Cam said.
Vala grabbed a large bag that was next to her on the floor and hand it to Sam.
"Here darling. For the little prince", she said with a big smile.
Sam also smiled and opened the bag. Inside nicely wrapped were several cute baby boy clothes.
"Thanks Vala. They are lovely", she said giving her a kiss.
"I know, I've excellent taste", she said.
The rest of the party was passed with conversations about their experiences with babies, especially Cameron who had several nieces and Teal'c. Everyone asked about the name chosen or if they had already any options but to their surprise, Sam said that she was waiting for the birth. Only then the baby would be named. The party was a joyful occasion for them to get together to celebrate the new life but Sam was secretly pleased when they all left and she was alone with Jack.
Between the beginning of her third trimester and the approach of her due date, Sam and Jack were busy. Dr. Weaver advised them to choose the baby's pediatrician. So Sam prepared a list of questions and interviewed a few candidates that Olivia had recommended. They settled with Dr. Gabriel Astor, a very experienced and easy to talk to doctor that she had felt immediately comfortable with.
Then they went shopping for baby gear. So far they only had the stroller that Cameron had given them. So they bought a crib, car seat (which they would need to bring the baby home from the hospital), changing table and several baby monitors.
They decided to transform one of the guestrooms into a nursery. It was already painted light blue so they left it. Jack assembled the crib with lots of cursing along the way while Sam somehow managed to buy the essentials for the nursery. She arrived home with bags full of bottles, baby clothes, diapers, wipes and pacifiers.
She was already at week 36 and exhausted. She was terrified of Braxton Hicks contractions. She had one of those the day before and had panicked thinking she was in labor. When they arrived at the hospital she was told that it was just her body's way of preparing for labor. She called Dr. Weaver when she arrived home and she told her that she might start feeling these irregular practice contractions around now until real labor started. Sam had almost fainted when she hung up the phone.
One night, they were both siting on the couch watching a movie when suddenly Sam felt a very strong sort of grabbing sensation in her abdomen. "Oh!"
"Oh?" Jack asked, studying his wife's face. "Is something wrong?"
"I wouldn't say wrong," she said through gritted teeth. "But I think I may be going into labor," she declared as she tightly gripped the hand he offered her.
"Are your sure it's not Braxton Hicks contractions?", he asked.
"I don't think so, Jack. These feels entirely different", she said closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. She was still holding his hand.
"OK then. Let's go to the hospital", he said.
Ten hours later Jack was still holding Sam's hand, but now he was coaching her breathing while Dr. Weaver delivered the baby. By the time it was all over, Jack and Sam were both in tears, while Olivia was all business.
"I couldn't have done it without you, Jack," Sam told him honestly.
"I told you I'd be here all the way, honey," he said, smiling till his eyes seemed to disappear in his face.
They watched in silence as Dr. Weaver cleaned out the baby's mouth and nose. Then Sam managed to pull the top of her gown down off her shoulders, and Dr. Weaver laid the crying infant across Sam's bare chest, where both women encouraged the baby to suckle.
Jack moved to the side of the bed watching as his wife fed their son for the very first time. He was still in awe with the birth and the beautiful wrinkled baby boy attached to Sam's breast. He had a little mop of dark blond hair and dark blue eyes.
"I'll leave you three alone. Congratulations again, General and Colonel. You've a beautiful son", Dr. Weaver said in her way out.
"Yes, we have", he said gently caressing Sam's damp hair.
She had been magnificent for someone who had been terrified of being pregnant and giving birth. Ten hours in labor and she did everything the doctors told her to do. Because of the Naquadah in her blood, Sam was resistant to anesthesia so she had a full labor without any pain reduction aid. She never had let go of his hand. Jack actually had stop feeling it several hours ago but he didn't care. All that matter to him in the world where in that hospital bed: his wife and son.
"So now that you've looked at him, do you have a name?", he asked kissing her forehead.
"Actually yes. But I don't know if you'll like it", she said looking at their son.
"Try me", he said with a smile.
"Jacob Carter-O'Neill", she said moving him carefully to her other breast.
Jack was silent for a few seconds.
"Actually I think it feats him perfectly", he said.
"You like it?", she asked looking at him.
"Yes. Your father would be very happy, honey", he said with a smile.
"Yeah…We can call him Jake", she said looking at her baby again.
"We can", he agreed. At this point we would agree with everything she would say.
"I think he's finished", she said.
Jack carefully took the baby from her. "I got him", he said gently putting him on his shoulder.
"OK Jake, let's hear your burp", he said while gently patting his back.
His son didn't take long and a loud burp was heard in the room. Both parents smiled. Jack decided to change his diaper also and not wait for the nurse.
"I'll change him", he said laying the baby and removing the dirty diaper. He used some baby wipes to clean him. Then he put a clean diaper and a onesie that Sam had put on the bag.
"Here you go, clean and ready for your mommy", he said kissing his son.
Sam took and rest him on her chest. He felt so good and she loved his baby smell. She was totally in love with another man besides her husband: her son.
"Dr. Weaver says that if everything is OK with both of you this night, we can go home tomorrow afternoon", he said sitting on the chair next to her bed.
Sam smiled.
"Oh that would be so niceee…", she said nuzzling her son.
"I'll call the guys, Vala and Cassie when we get home. You need rest and they aren't here anyway", he said.
"Yes, it would be very good to sleep now that I haven't got a huge football inside of me. However, I'm not sure our little man has the same plans", she said in a low voice.
"We'll keep him in our room in the first weeks and see how that works. So it's easier for you while you're breastfeeding him in the beginning".
"Yeah…let's see how that works", she said not very sure.