Chapter 17

8 Section 79 -- Udders

"We volunteer to suck your nipples," giggled Erin, "so they'll get toughened up and you'll be more ready to nurse Adam." The twins sat on both sides of the startled Diane and insinuated themselves beneath her arms, their shining faces turned up toward hers. Diane laughed heartily and hugged the girls to her.

"Methinks you two have hatched a new plot that will end with you singing your own orgasms!"

"Moi?" the twins asked in unison. They batted their eyes at her in innocence. Each brought her gaze down to the nipple in front of her. "Your nipples are getting bigger," breathed Emma. "Do you feel the changes?" Each of the twins began to swirl the tip of her tongue around the areola in front of her.

"Oh, God," Diane gasped, "I think they improved the nerves that connect my tits to my pussy!" The rest of the family had a hearty laugh. "I have felt a strangeness in my boobs. I'm still not completely used to being eighteen again, so I can't really tell. I think you're right that my nips are getting bigger, and my boobs, too. I don't wear a bra anymore, of course, and can't tell for sure. Gawd, that feels good! What am I going to do if I'm feeding Adam and I have an orgasm?!?"

"I don't think Adam's arms are going to be long enough to rub your clit while he suckles," chirped Erin as she began to explore Diane's pussy with her fingers. Emma's fingers were right behind. One had two fingers inside Diane and the other was stroking her clit. As only twins can, an imperceptible signal made them change places, and her clit got a fresh batch of lubricant.

"I never had an orgasm while nursing," observed Beth, "but lots of times the feeding session led to a wonderful bout of love-making."

The twins were by now sucking for all they were worth. Beth had taught them that a baby latched on to the entire areola. The twins did suck, but they could not resist lashing Diane's nipple with their tongues and even gently biting her. They relentlessly double-teamed her pussy and clit. Diane's lust was skyrocketing.

Claire knelt before Diane, spread her knees and pulled her hips forward. For a while, she just watched the twins' tag-team assault on Diane's pussy. Diane was unable to sit still, her hips frantically seeking more friction. The twins waited until Claire's face was in Diane's lap before yanking their hands away. Claire wasted no time, latching onto Diane's clit and sucking.

That was it. Diane keened her orgasm as she thrashed around, hemmed in by Claire and the twins. The family laughed and cheered as Diane enjoyed her post-orgasmic bliss.

"Jack," said Martin with a big grin. "Why don't you push Diane down onto the sofa and give her a severe banging?" Jack looked around at the rest of the family, surprised and embarrassed into paralysis.

"Don't hesitate, Jack," said Beth with a smile. "Don't falter. Get over there and do as you're told. She doesn't need any foreplay, but you might show her your trick about staying hard through your first orgasm."

Diane looked coyly at Jack. "Coward?" she smirked. "Think I'll eat you up?"

That did it. He rose from his seat and headed for Diane, his rampant erection pointed right at her. He pushed her down onto her back -- she didn't resist -- and slammed his dick all the way home. He didn't stop to savor the feelings or to let Diane adjust. He began powerful rapid strokes.

"Oh my gawd," she breathed in her best Southern accent. "I ain't nevah been fucked without a kiss. Bang me good, Jack. You feel wonderful."

Laura shrieked, panic on her face. "What's wrong?" asked Beth. She spanked Jack to keep him going. Jack missed only a beat before resuming his pounding. Laura spread her knees and revealed a pool of liquid between her thighs. "Looks like you broke water," smiled Beth. "Baby Adam is ready to be born."

"I'll get a towel," cried Erin as she shot toward the kitchen. She quickly returned. Laura opened her knees to see... nothing.

"There's no puddle," Laura said in surprise. "I saw it come out. Well, I saw the liquid as it splashed on my thighs and on the sofa. I can't see my pussy," she blushed.

"The liquid was absorbed by the sofa material," said the AI.

"I saw it gush out of your pussy," said Sandy. "I have actually never heard of any woman who has seen her water break naturally." The other women shook their heads in agreement. "One of the many benefits of our wardrobe," she chanted as she pointed up and down her nude figure.

"It doesn't last but a second or two," observed Sarah. "Who on earth lays around buck naked when she's nine months pregnant?" That brought chuckles.

Laura looked nonplussed. "Now what?"

"The AI may correct me," answered Beth, "but now you wait, and let your body do its thing. AI, is Laura's progress being monitored? Will we be advised to take her to medical at the proper time?"

"Affirmative to both questions," answered the AI. "However, childbirth is a bonding event for every family. Four of you concubines have each been through childbirth twice. Your collective experience should guide you. Laura's condition, the baby's condition and Laura's progress will be continuously monitored. The AI will not intervene unless necessary. It is recommended that the mother-to-be experience some contractions. The experience will also be worthwhile for Diane, Jack, Erin and Emma. However, a little bit of that experience goes a long way. When Laura wishes, or when you feel it appropriate, you may transport Laura to the medical bay. She will be placed under the care of the medical staff, who will place Laura in a med tube. Please keep in mind that Laura will be more comfortable in her home, surrounded by loved ones. In the medical bay, only the sponsor and one concubine can be present with Laura. It is recommended that Laura not proceed to the medical bay too soon."

"Are you having contractions?" asked Erin.

Laura shook her head. "I've been having contractions for weeks," she answered. "They weren't very strong, and they weren't regular. They became part of the background noise. I don't even know if I had a contraction right before my water broke."

"AI, how shall we transport Laura to the med bay?" asked Martin. "Should she walk? Should I carry her?"

"If you or one of your concubines will proceed to the transporter pad," said the AI, "a wheel chair will be transported for Laura's use."

"I'll go get it," said Rob. "Been there, done that," as he pointed his thumb at the ladies, "no tee shirts allowed."

Laura's eyes suddenly got big. She sucked her breath and held it. Finally, she relaxed.

"THAT was a contraction," announced Claire.

"Remember the no-touch rule," advised Beth. "Laura is in for contractions as long as they are tolerable. You girls will learn a lot."

"Diane would learn a lot, too," giggled Sandy, "if she wasn't full of dick."

"They'll be done before too long," allowed Martin. "Diane -- and Jack, too -- will have plenty to learn from."

"Don't you think it's odd," said Emma, "that Diane and Jack are half killing each other with sex in a room full of people, and nobody else is interested?"

Nobody could resist at least glancing at the loving couple. "Looks like they're having fun," said Beth.

"What about me?" asked Laura. "I've never been through this before, either."

"We'll help you," smiled Claire.

"We need something to do, so we don't go wild every time Laura shifts," said Erin.

"I KNOW!" said Emma. "Body sculpting! Laura hasn't chosen what she'll look like when she comes back from the med bay!"

"Guilty as charged," sighed Laura. "I already wanted this pregnancy to end. I didn't want to torture myself by thinking about how I'd look afterward. I guess now is a good time to get that taken care of."

All of the women cheered. Martin sat back to observe. "Where do we start?" asked Erin.

"Let's all sit on this side of the room," said Claire. "AI, when we're seated, will you please make a hologram of Laura as she is now?"

"Wait, wait, wait," chirped Emma. "Let us get beverages for everyone before we start." Beverage orders were collected and the twins went to the kitchen to fetch the drinks. The lovers' screams and grunts reached a crescendo and then fell off. Martin noted with pleasure that Jack's hips had merely slowed.

The twins had the disconcerting experience of walking right through the Laura hologram. Nothing was spilled, but it was a near thing. The women chuckled. Drinks distributed, all comfortably seated, Claire said, "Back to work, ladies. Behold Laura as she is today." So they did. The Laura hologram actually did something of a pirouette, as the real Laura had done nearly a week ago. "AI, please put another hologram beside the first. Show Laura as she would be after Bozo's birth. Do any tune-ups, weight loss, and the like but no enhancements."

There was a collective gasp. Laura actually looked quite good and there were comments to that effect. She's all yours, Laura," chuckled Beth. "What would you have done to her?"

"Well," Laura sighed, "My sister claimed great wisdom on account of her advanced age, which was rolled back the following day. No one has accused me of being wise, now that I'm oldest of all my sisters. I think I'd like to be the same age as the rest of you."

The family laughed at the way she put it. Oohs and aahs followed the image change. "It may be because I've felt like a hippo for the last months, but I want to try being thinner than I ever was on Earth. AI, would you roll back the weight by a pound every, say, two seconds?"

At first the change was not noticeable but it did not take long before real visible changes were appearing. "AI," said Laura, "slow down the weight loss to a pound every five seconds. Put her knees together and keep taking weight off the thighs until plenty of daylight shows near the top."

A few seconds later, she said, "That's enough on the thighs. Actually, that's enough weight off. What do you think, Sisters?" After some banter, Laura was satisfied that she had done well on her new weight.

When Laura did not continue speaking, her sisters looked at her and found her in the middle of another contraction. Her sisters were all smiles while they waited. Soon, Laura took a deep breath. "That was a good one."

"You'll be tired of birthing a baby before very long," said Sarah. "I guess you won't have much time to feel depleted. The med tube will completely restore your body and perform the enhancements all at once. That's a wonderful feature, isn't it? Come out of the delivery room doing cartwheels and anxious to jump your master's bones!"

"That's SOOO much different than unaided childbirth. I don't even want to talk about the Earthly way," said Sandy. "Hey, let's stay focused on Laura's enhancements. Then we can ask the AI a thousand questions about how they actually go about birthing a baby around here."

The rest of Laura's enhancements were easy and typical: no hair except on her head, teeth straight and white, eyesight corrected, hair made lustrous and a tad longer, scars and skin flaws removed, a light tan all over, and the like. When she was done, her sisters clapped and cheered. Laura looked to Martin for approval. He grinned and nodded, saying over the noise, "AI, I approve of these changes. Please put them into effect during or after the baby delivery."

"Acknowledged."

Laura was radiant. Even another contraction didn't damp her joy. She blew him a kiss.

On the other side of the room, the volume was rapidly increasing as Diane and Jack increased the intensity of their lovemaking. They had changed to doggie style. Jack was pounding into Diane from behind, his hands roving everywhere. Well, everywhere but Diane's clit, which she strummed furiously. Her nearly continuous vocalizations were arrested when another orgasm seized her body. Jack plunged on, right through each orgasm. Diane was right back with renewed vigor, throwing her ass back to meet Jack's every thrust.

Jack looked up and saw Sandy signaling, her thumb touching her fingertips of one hand, two fingers on the other hand sawing in and out of the hole made by the first. Jack immediately got the idea. He began collecting moisture from Diane's thighs and depositing as much as he could on Diane's rosebud.

"She loves it up the ass, Jack," said Martin. "Whatever she says, bury your cock in her ass and fuck her hard."

As if on cue, Diane began to complain about Jack's attention to her rosebud. She went on and on, telling him her ass was off limits. Her body belied her words when his index finger penetrated her ass and she had another orgasm. As soon as she recovered her faculties, she complained loudly of his violation. A second finger joined the first and Diane screamed like murder. Diane spread her ass cheeks with her own hands. Jack got the message. He pulled out of her pussy, withdrew his fingers and slowly but forcefully pressed his cock into Diane's bowels.

Diane released a string of expletives beyond anything Jack had ever heard from her. She cursed him for raping her ass, made charges about his mother and called him more names than he had heard of. Diane meanwhile spanked her own ass several times. Jack again got the message loud and clear. He began spanking her, one hand at a time. "No!" she cried after every blow.

Diane 'came out of character' and whispered, "You've gotta cum soon, Lover. I can't take much more." She snapped back, screaming her feigned pain and cursing Jack relentlessly. Jack seemed to redouble his efforts, thrusting even harder and faster. Finally, he suddenly stopped and bellowed out his own orgasm.

The rest of the family had been watching with rapt attention. Jack dutifully remained plugged into Diane and he gently stroked her skin. At her signal, he withdrew and moved to lie beside her. She stretched out her legs but remained on her tummy.

She turned her head to face Jack. Her eyes sparkled and her whole face smiled. "Thank you, Jack." She puckered her lips and Jack moved in for a long, soft, loving kiss. She smiled at him. "If we do this scene again," she said, "you ought to charge that I earned my mad money by selling sex, and I wasn't particular about my clients." She giggled and he nodded understanding, cuddling up to her.

"Thanks for the interlude, Diane and Jack," chirped Erin. "I'm glad we twins aren't the only ones who like sodomy." The whole family laughed. "Let's get back to delivering babies!"

"AI," said Martin, "Jack and Diane can watch this discussion whenever they want."

"Acknowledged."

"Okay," Beth said, taking the lead on the discussion. "There is much more to the story than the generalization I'm about to give. On Earth, the general procedure for a normal birth is to keep the mother in what's called a 'labor room' until her cervix is completely opened. She is then moved to the 'delivery room.' If everything goes normally, the doctor and nurses don't intervene until the baby's head appears. That's said to be when the baby 'crowns.' The doctor plays catcher. When the baby is free of its mother, the doctor makes sure the baby is breathing. The baby is briefly examined. The umbilical cord -- which still connects the baby to the placenta -- is tied off near the baby's tummy and then severed. The nurses clean up the baby, get a diaper and a hat on it, wrap it in blankets and let momma hold it. The placenta is delivered and any repairs to momma are handled. An exhausted and drained momma is transported back to her room and the baby goes to the nursery. The baby is shuttled in and out of momma's room for meals and bonding. After a couple days' recovery, momma and baby go home.

"Whew! AI, you know how much I've skipped or glossed over. Would you please give us a similarly broad overview of the procedures Laura will encounter?"

"At that level of detail," said the AI, "the procedure is much the same. When a woman becomes pregnant, Confederacy technology begins preparations to ease the eventual delivery of the baby. The primary physical alteration is that the pelvis is enlarged to make additional room for the baby to easily pass through the birth canal. This alteration occurs over the course of the pregnancy. The woman and her family are not consciously aware of this change. In cases like Laura's, when the woman arrives already pregnant, the preparations must be accelerated."

"Oh!" breathed Laura. "This is my first pregnancy, so I didn't know what to expect. Now I understand why my pelvis has ached."

"That is correct," said the AI. "For all women approaching delivery, nanites are busy altering the internal pelvic muscles to ease the baby's transit through the birth canal. These changes commenced within Laura when her water burst, and will be complete shortly. The changes to the musculature and the pelvic bone will be reversed after the child is born.

"The birthing process is otherwise not altered during the early phases. Nanites are monitoring the mother's progress but the monitoring is rather crude by Confederacy standards. In almost all cases, the mother-to-be will become sufficiently uncomfortable that she is placed in a med tube well before labor has advanced very far. Rarely, the AI directs that the woman be transported to the medical bay.

"When the mother-to-be arrives in the medical bay, she is placed into a med tube. The woman is made unconscious. The health and progress of mother and child are continuously monitored. The child is born. The baby is cleaned, the umbilical cord severed and healed, circumcision is performed if desired, and the like. Meanwhile, the mother's body is completely restored and any sponsor-requested modifications are performed.

"Mother and baby come out of the med tube together. As you said, Sarah, the mother will have the strength and energy to perform cartwheels or enjoy sexual relations. However, the mother has had the center of balance of her body suddenly changed. On Earth, mothers are so weak that they do not stand and walk. In the Confederacy, new mothers are warned to take care not to fall until their sense of balance is restored."

"This isn't fun anymore," lamented Laura some time later. "I'm ready for cartwheels," she giggled. "Oh, before I forget, AI, please circumcise Adam -- if Martin permits."

"Yes, please," smiled Martin.

"Acknowledged."

"We forgot to talk about a nursery!" Claire gasped.

"May I leave that in your capable hands?" asked Martin. "Laura is anxious to have done with her bowling ball. We're all anxious to meet our son. I'll take her to the med bay and wait for her to be done."

"Laura will be immediately placed in a med tube," the AI interjected. "She will remain in the med tube for several hours. It is not necessary that you wait in the medical bay. You will be advised in plenty of time to arrive in the medical bay before the med tube re-opens."

Martin nodded and looked at each of the family in turn. "Then I will take Laura. I'm going to invoke RHIP this time and go by myself."

"What is RHIP?" asked Jack. He and Diane had re-joined the family.

"Rank Hath Its Privilege," chuckled Beth. "Martin just pulled rank on the rest of us. He hasn't done that very much. Martin's going to the med bay. We girls are going to continue our hen party. You guys are on your own."

Martin brought the wheel chair to Laura. "I can walk, you know," smiled Laura.

"You could," allowed Martin, "but that would rob me of an opportunity to appreciate your beauty from above and behind you." Laura blushed. "Have I told you that you are a beautiful young woman?" He looked around at his family. "I am surrounded by my family, each one beautiful inside and out."

Laura made her good-byes with each of the family members. Martin collected a kiss from each of the women and a nod from the men before wheeling Laura out the door.

"Laura has been all over the map at night this past week," said Sandy. "Some nights, she wanted to be in the same bed with others but off by herself. Some nights she waited for the sex bouts to be over and then she wanted to be snuggled. Some nights she wanted to sleep close to one of us girls. Some nights, she wanted to be in her own bed, alone. I think we should make a plan for a nursery upstairs with an adult-size bed and the baby's crib but with no other children, and also make provision for the baby to sleep downstairs somewhere. We can let Laura decide, or make her own modifications."

"Well, then," said Erin, "the first one is easy. Put a crib and a bed in the room beyond the boys' room. Bingo."

"We have the benefit of the best baby monitor ever," pointed out Claire. "The AI can awaken any of us at the right time. I think we ought to get off on the right foot by putting baby Adam in a nursery upstairs. We'll all regret it if we try to start babies off in downstairs bedrooms.

"Tonight, I bet Laura will be torn between being close to her baby and her need to burn off all of that pent-up libido. I think it's a bad idea for the baby to sleep with adults. I think it's a bad idea for adults to sleep in the nursery. Laura can know that she'll be alerted when baby Adam wakes. AI, please wake one of us mothers when you alert Laura. Let's let her take care of Adam. We can be present if she needs us. If she asks, we can tell her or show her what she needs to know. I hope you'll resist the urge to hover or to do it for her."

"My milk comes in tomorrow evening," said Diane. "If I'm to completely take care of Adam until he goes back to sleep, then you'd better let me get up with you tonight. I don't know how to diaper babies. I don't know any of that stuff. I need to learn, and fast."

"What about us?" whined Emma.

"You two and Jack all need to learn how to take care of the baby," said Claire, "but not in the middle of the night. There will be plenty of opportunity during the daytime to learn about diapers, and dressing and bathing him."

"Back to nursery arrangements," said Sandy. "On the off-chance that Laura insists that Adam sleep downstairs, what should we plan?"

The women silently contemplated the problem for a moment. "We can choose one room for the crib," said Beth, "or we could put a crib in each of the bedrooms, or we could put wheels on the crib."

"Just remember," Sarah pointed out, "that every parent in the same room with the baby will wake when the baby wakes, at least at first."

The AI interjected, "A barrier for sound and/or light can be made wherever and whenever wanted. The barrier can operate one way or both ways. The barrier would not affect the monitoring of the baby."

The lift came down. Daniel led little Morgan, who toddled off the lift. She held one of Daniel's fingers with each hand and she smiled and laughed at her own walking prowess. The lift next brought down Lily and Nathan. Logan brought up the rear. Morgan made a beeline for her mother, Sandy. Beth collected Nathan in her lap. Lily went to her mother, Sarah. Logan... overcame his discomfiture and climbed into Jack's lap. Daniel wanted no part of Rob's lap but he did sit close and wrap his two arms around Rob's upper arm.

"We're so glad to see you," chirped Sandy. "Have you been having fun?" That prompted happy chatter from several of them, each telling a different adult all about the fun.

Sandy looked up at Erin. "Would you get a dry diaper for Morgan, please? Wait..." and she lifted up Morgan and sniffed her bottom. "Please bring some wipes, too. And a blanket or a mat?" Erin disappeared into the bedroom to fetch for Sandy.

"Logan," said Jack, "Mama Laura is going to bring your baby brother home today. His name is Adam. He will be very little. Won't it be nice to have a baby brother?" Logan nodded dubiously. Lily was glad for a new baby. Morgan was clueless, but happy.

"Daniel, what do you think about a new brother?" asked Rob.

"It's nice, I guess," allowed Daniel. "I think I better get over being a child pretty soon. If we get so many brothers and sisters so fast, I'll have to be a lot of help." Rob nodded and hugged his son. The women chuckled and agreed with him.

Erin returned with the supplies. Sandy knelt and began to spread the blanket. She looked up at Diane. "Would you like to watch me do it, or would you like me to watch you do it?"

Diane blushed. "You've changed Morgan's diaper all week. I've seen you do it, but I wasn't really paying attention. I think Morgan will be better off this time if I pay strict attention while you do it." With that, she knelt beside Sandy, who lay Morgan down on the blanket.

"It's easier than on Earth," said Sandy, but you still have to get prepared before you start, especially with a poopie diaper and especially with a child who doesn't want her diaper changed and can roll away if you let her." The other women chuckled.

"Okay, new diaper opened and oriented, wipes at hand, baby in position. Here we go." The diaper fasteners on both sides were broken. Sandy blocked Morgan's attempt to roll over, collected two baby ankles with one hand and brought the front of the diaper down and away with the other. "Leave the diaper in place until you get the mess under control." She lifted the baby by her ankles and began to wipe up the poop. When the baby's backside was relatively clean, she pulled the diaper out from under the baby and dragged it out of the immediate area. She let Morgan back down and let go of her ankles. She wiped every crease and crevice she could find, grabbing a clean wipe as needed. Cleaning done, Sandy positioned the fresh diaper under Morgan and foiled another escape attempt. "The side with the tabs goes in the back." She pulled together the front and back on one side and, making a point to show Diane, pulled open the adhesive and pressed the sides together. She did the same thing on the other side.

"Stick your finger in between the diaper and Morgan's skin." Diane followed instructions. "Feel for yourself how taut the diaper is around the waist. You can unfasten the adhesive and reposition it if you need to. A diaper that's put on too loose is not a disaster, especially when the living unit cleans itself anyway."

Sandy nudged Morgan to roll away. Morgan happily complied and was off like a shot. Sandy wrapped the dirty wipes in the dirty diaper and wrapped that in the blanket. "The whole thing goes in the recycler and the AI keeps a steady stock of all of the supplies. You'll need to wash your hands afterward."

"Thanks," Diane smiled. "You make it look so easy. I'm sure I'll be an old pro before long. I might not be too smooth at it for a bit."

"It's pretty much the same with a tiny baby," said Beth. "He won't be able to make an escape attempt. You can lift one leg at a time to clean him up. Be sure to clean every nook and cranny. His penis won't be bandaged from the circumcision, thank goodness. For the first few days, the poop is like tar. It's harder to clean up, but I don't remember a bad odor."

"Laura Godwin?" asked the smiling technician. She nodded. "The AI informed us that you were coming. Congratulations!"

"Thank you," Laura blushed.

"Bring her right this way," the technician said to Martin. He wheeled her up beside an open med tube. "This will take several hours," said the technician.

"So we were informed," answered Martin. "I was advised to go back to my quarters and await notification by the AI."

"That's right. Laura, say your goodbye and climb right up here."

Laura stood and Martin withdrew the wheelchair. She opened her arms and he stepped into the embrace. He felt her flinch as a contraction took hold of her. He kissed her lightly and stepped out of the embrace. Laura turned and entered the med tube. She and Martin gazed at each other until the med tube hatch was lowered into place. With a sigh, Martin headed home from the medical bay.

The technician handed Martin a stack of baby stuff: a tiny diaper, a receiving blanket, a cap, and some other things. Martin almost immediately put the stack down on a nearby padded counter. The med tube hatch was being raised.

He looked in and saw Laura waking, the naked tiny baby asleep on her chest. When she had herself oriented, she beamed her joy to Martin. At her urging, he carefully lifted the baby so she could climb out. She turned her attention to the baby, peering closely at the sleeping infant cradled in Martin's arms. "Here," he said with a grin, "you should be the one holding our son."

Laura's smile lit up her entire face. She accepted the still-naked child, gently clutching it to her breast. She offered a nipple but sleepy little Adam would not latch on. Her gaze shifted from baby Adam to Martin and back again. "Let's get him diapered and wrapped," she softly said. "I can't wait to show him to my sisters."

She laid the baby on the counter and proceeded to put on his diaper. She was glad Martin didn't seem to notice that she was struggling to get it right. When she was satisfied, she placed him on the blanket, stowed the cap and booties beside him and wrapped him up.

Laura stepped back and took stock of herself. Silent in deference to the baby, she briefly jumped and danced about. She wasn't as graceful as she wanted to be. "I'm going to have to be careful for a bit," she said softly. "My center of balance has really changed!"

"You'll get used to being svelte very quickly," chuckled Martin. "You look great! How do you feel?"

"Well, my abdomen feels like it has been worked on. It isn't uncomfortable, but I can feel that it isn't 'normal'. My pelvic region does feel pretty uncomfortable."

"The size of the pelvic bone was reduced after the birth," said the AI. "The changes to the bone and the nearby muscles will cause some discomfort for a few days."

"Will you carry him?" she asked Martin. "I don't trust myself just yet. My body feels too much different." With a nod and a smile, he gently picked up the baby and turned to leave the med bay. Laura wrapped one arm around Martin's waist and rested the other arm on his so that she could gaze at the baby without having to watch where she was going.

Soon enough, the door to their living unit opened. Before they entered, Martin passed baby Adam back to his mother. She accepted her son and stepped inside. Martin followed just a step behind, his finger over his lips in the universal sign for quiet. The entire family surrounded the new mother and her baby, struggling mightily against excitement and joy to keep their voices down.

Of course, all the women had to hold the baby. Laura wanted Beth to be first. Claire urged the rest to seat themselves. When Beth felt that her turn was done, she invited Diane to stand and then helped her take the baby. The exchange -- the third in only a few moments -- woke him up and he started to fuss. Diane was anxious to give the baby back to its mother, or to anyone more capable than she was.

"Get a grip!" Beth told Diane quietly -- but sharply -- while smiling to soften any sting. "The baby picks up your emotions. I want you to bathe yourself in the feeling that you love him and that you are going to see to his needs." Diane was at first nonplussed. She visibly gathered herself and focused her attention on the baby. Little Adam didn't stop fussing but he was no longer building up a head of steam, either.

Beth turned to Laura. "Have you fed him at all?" she asked.

Laura shook her head. "After we emerged from the med tube, we were only in the med bay for a very brief time. I tried, but he wasn't awake enough to be interested. This is the first time he has been awake."

Beth nodded. "Diane, you'll have milk for Adam tomorrow night. I think he should be rewarded with milk on his first attempt to suckle. Very soon, Adam will know each of us by our individual smell. He will associate the smell of you and Laura with milk. For now, Diane, you better let Laura try to nurse him."

Beth signaled Laura to remain sitting. Diane carefully handed him off to Laura, who offered him a nipple. "Rub the nipple along his upper lip," Beth said softly. "When he starts to latch on, push plenty of your breast into his mouth."

Rubbing his upper lip produced the instinctive response: he opened his mouth and latched onto the proffered nipple. Laura groaned in satisfaction as little Adam began to suck. The family was quiet for a time as they all observed Adam's first feeding.

"I can't hold it anymore," said Erin softly. "Please, please tell us about the delivery? Please?" The other women chuckled.

"Not much to tell, really," smiled Laura. "You saw me having contractions here. Then we went to medical. As soon as we got there, the technician put me in a med tube. I must have been out before the med tube hatch was completely closed. For all I know, the hatch closed and opened right back up. I had no sense that any time had passed. The main difference was that Adam was sleeping on my chest when I awoke. Martin picked Adam up and I got out of the med tube. Martin gave Adam to me and I held him for a moment. I put him down on the counter. Before I put on his diaper, I spent a minute checking my new and improved body. I felt that my sense of balance wasn't right because the baby was born. I diapered Adam and wrapped him in a blanket. I asked Martin to carry Adam so I didn't fall and hurt him. That's about it."

All of the women began to talk at once, asking questions and adding comments. Baby Adam was passed from lap to lap, his sleep undisturbed with the loving strokes to his cheeks and fingers. Diane successfully resisted the powerful urge to bring the baby's mouth to her breast. Emma had to be gently chided by Sandy, who sat beside her. "He needs to be rewarded for sucking," Sandy whispered. "You and I don't have anything to give him now. Let's let him only such full breasts." Emma smiled and nodded understanding.

Jack had his first lesson on how to hold a tiny baby. Remarks about the child being his son amplified his emotions. Although proud and happy, he was plainly relieved when Beth gently picked Adam up and passed him along to Erin.