A Proposal to Remember

‘You can still breast-feed him,’ Zan assured her, taking her arm and walking with her towards the incubator. Machines beeped and the lights sent a glow over the dark ward. ‘Have you talked to the nurses about it?’

Kelly shook her head. ‘They’re so busy.’

‘Not too busy to help you breast-feed,’ Zan said firmly. ‘What you need to do is express milk to begin with and they can give that down his tube.’

The doctor looking after the baby glanced up and smiled. ‘In fact, that would be brilliant. He’s actually not tolerating our formula milk very well. I think it’s a bit too rich for his little tummy. Any time you want to give us some breast milk, please, feel free.’

Kelly glanced nervously at Zan, who smiled reassuringly.

‘How about now?’ She sensed that Kelly was out of her depth on this ward full of strangers. ‘I could help you. They’ve got a special room here where you can sit quietly. Providing the staff don’t mind me butting in, I can show you the ropes.’

Carlo lifted an eyebrow. ‘There’s no end to what an elf can do.’

Zan glanced down at herself and pulled a face. ‘I’d forgotten I’m an elf.’

‘I’ll lend you a white coat if you’ll stay and help,’ one of the nurses said dryly as she walked past and heard the exchange.

Zan looked at Carlo. ‘Is it OK?’

‘Of course.’ He smiled easily, as relaxed as ever. ‘Give me a shout when you’re ready to go.’

He made no secret of their relationship and Zan blushed slightly.

‘OK, Kelly, come with me and I’ll introduce you to Daisy.’

They left Carlo talking quietly to Mike and walked down the corridor and into a small but comfortable room. Kelly hovered on the threshold.

‘Who’s Daisy?’

Zan laughed and waved a hand towards the machine on the table. ‘Meet Daisy the cow. So called because of her role in milk production. Let me show you what to do.’ She picked out various items of equipment and ripped open the packets. ‘These are sterile and you need a fresh one of these every time.’

She showed Kelly what to connect where and then helped her get the pressure right on the machine.

A few drops of milk-like fluid trickled into the bottle and Kelly looked at Zan anxiously. ‘It isn’t very much.’

Zan sat down next to her. ‘It takes a few days for your milk to come in properly. This is what we call colostrum. It’s not high volume but it’s very high in calories and full of antibodies.’ Zan hesitated. ‘You’ve been anaemic, Kelly, and you’re pretty underweight. It’s possible that you won’t be able to produce enough milk to feed him completely on your own. We might need to top her up.’

Kelly’s eyes filled but she nodded. ‘I see.’

‘It’s important that you eat a good diet from now on—plenty of protein,’ Zan told her, ‘and keep expressing because that will stimulate your milk supply.’

Kelly looked at her. ‘And will he ever be able to feed from me?’

‘I’m sure he will.’ Zan was quick to reassure her. ‘As soon as he’s a bit stronger, we’ll start putting him to the breast to get him used to the idea.’

‘What if he doesn’t get used to the idea?’

‘He will.’ Zan gave her a warm smile. ‘You’re going to be a great mum, Kelly. How are you feeling in yourself?’

‘Tired,’ Kelly admitted, and Zan made a mental note to mention it to Carlo. She still needed to have her blood checked for anaemia.

‘How’s Mike coping?’

Kelly pulled a face. ‘Pretty well, really, considering how much he hates hospitals. It brings back horrible memories for him.’

They walked back onto SCBU to find Carlo still in conversation with Mike and the doctor.

He smiled at Kelly. ‘Has this little boy got a name yet?’