For the baby

Chapter 2 - phase 1: a good mommy?

Standing in the bathroom, she held up a glass of heavy cream, took a sip then picked up the pill bottle sitting on the counter. She shook it back and forth recalling everything the doctor had told her.
"Phase 1." He said, "In addition to getting your milk supply back up, we need to jump start your little one's metabolism. It's important that your body create milk rich in fat. This will get your little guys weight back up. Every meal you eat needs to be high in fat. Also, you'll take a hormone pill along with a minimum of 8 oz of cream 3 times a day. That's in addition to your normal meals. You're going to need to eat a lot of fat into your body."
"Got it." The young mother said nodding her head as she followed along.
"You need to really commit yourself to this. That pill combined with extra fat is the only way to get your milk back." Said the doctor.


"This has about, 450 calories." She thought, sipping on the cream. "To burn that, I'll need to work out...ugh...an extra hour a day. "Make that 3 hours a day." She reminded herself.

She stepped on the scale. 200 even. "God, I'm fat." She mumbled, looking up to see herself in the mirror. Naked, she could see just how flabby she had gotten. She hadn't really lost any weight since the baby was born. She took another big sip of the cream and popped one of the pills into her mouth, then went back to examining herself. Her body looked out of proportion.
Her stomach and breasts looked like deflated balloons and the rest of her looking plump and chubby. Her arms and thighs looked like sausages. She grabbed her breasts and imagined them larger, filled with life giving milk. "At least I'll even out a bit on top."

After showering and getting dressed for the day, she entered the kitchen to find her husband had made breakfast.
"Eggs with sausage and bacon." He exclaimed as he handed her a cup of coffee with cream. "For the baby."
She dug into the big breakfast and said, "I'm going to walk to the hospital to try and burn off some calories. I'll eat lunch there."
"Sounds good." He replied. "Don't forget add an avocado or something for extra fat."
She grabbed and jiggled her flabby belly. "Just what I need." And shoved the last of breakfast into her mouth.

The 3 mile walk to the hospital was just what she needed to get her blood pumping and burn a few calories. She spent the day with her son, ate a chicken Caesar salad with extra dressing and avocado for lunch. She figured that was enough fat. They didn't have heavy cream but she figured if she had 2 regular milks that was good enough. Her husband arrived right after work and they spent the evening watching their little boy who looked even smaller than the day before. Another Caesar salad with extra dressing and avocado for dinner then home to bed.

The next couple days repeated the same. Finally the day of her appointment arrived. She woke up early, excited and hopeful that her milk was coming in. The couple arrived early for the big appointment. The nurse took them to their room, took some blood and weighed the young mother.
"201" the nurse announced. She took some blood then let the couple know the doctor would be in soon.
"1 pound. Is that good?" he asked.
"No idea." She replied. "But it's something."
The door swung open and the doctor rushed in.
"1 Pound?" He asked then glanced down at the chart. "And there's barely any fat difference in your blood."
"Well...uh...I drank the cream every day. And ate more." She rambled nervously.
"And?" the doctor asked.
She glanced pleadingly at her husband.
Jumping in, he responded "But...that's what you said she needed to do. 3 glasses of cream, 3 pills a day and eat more fat."
"I said eat way more fat." The doctor responded holding the file up to the couple. "You son is dying and there's zero difference in your blood. You did the bear minimum. Honestly, I chose you because I believed you were willing to do whatever it took to save your son."
Her shoulders dropped and tears streamed her eyes. He wrapped his arms around her.
Realizing how hard his words had hurt the young couple, the doctor softened, "Look. Maybe we should talk about alternatives that are...less stressful for the family."
"NO!" She shouted. "Give us 48 hours."

Before going home, she visited her son. She got very close to his little face and swore an oath to him "From now on. Everything is for you. And you're going to drink the fattiest milk ever made."
Driving home from the hospital, the car was silent. Both lost in their thoughts. Finally after what felt like an eternity, he spoke. "I'm sorry- "
"The doctor was right, you know. Our little guy is near the end and we did...minimum." She mumbled, lost in thought.
They came to a stop light right in front of a Baskin Robbins. Her mood changed to a steely determination. "But, from now on, we're doing everything. Everything for the baby."
She hopped out of the car and said, "Run to the store and get as much ice cream, cream and butter as you can then pick me back up. Let's see if I can get through all 31 by then."
His eyes lit up as he realized what she was doing. He nodded then said, "For the baby."