Child Brides of India

By C. Stanton Leman

Chapter 85: Priya Delivers (MFfg, rom, cons, oral, anal)

“What?” Priya asked Monaavi amazed. “Did I hear you right: let Leeya help breastfeed Malina? How?”

“Well…” looking at Mom, Monaavi replied as she got a devilish smirk on her face, “It’s a wicked thought but it might work. Leeya wants to be pregnant, right?”

“Oh goody, goody,” Leeya giggled, “I’m beginning to like this idea already!”

“Hold your eggs, Little One,” Mom warned. “It ain’t what you think. If I’m thinking what Monaavi’s thinking is that if Monaavi can be induced to lactate, why not Leeya? She’s developing breasts; it might work for her too. That way, she can experience a part of motherhood without the swollen belly. She could contribute an ounce or two don’t you think?”

“No!” I said emphatically, “She’s ten and a half. She’s only got puffy nipples for tits, for Christ sakes. Her body is just starting to develop and we don’t know what harm an overdose of hormones will cause. What if it accelerates her puberty? There are just too many unknown variables to consider.”

Shaking my head, I reiterated, “No, I won’t allow it.”

“Pleeeez, Sean?” Leeya whined.

“Look, Leeya,” I said sternly to her, “as your husband, it’s my responsibility to protect you and that means to protect your health. Going through puberty, your body is in a very delicate, unstable state right now. What would you do if this resulted in problems that prevented you from having a child later on? What would you do then? And for what: to produce milk and breastfeed a baby? It’s just not worth it.”

“Sean’s right, Sweetie,” Mom agreed. “It was a stupid, hair-brained idea. We shouldn’t even have brought it up.”

“Darn!” Leeya pouted, “Why can’t I be a few years older!”

I also added to make myself perfectly clear, “And there’ll be hell to pay if any of you helps her accomplish this behind my back!”

“Sean!” Priya cut in. “We would never defy you, you should know that. You said no, and no it is.”

“Good,” I answered. “Just so we understand each other.”

“I have just one question,” Monaavi asked looking at me.

“What?” I replied.

Monaavi asked, “Would it be okay to try to ‘coax’ her body to lactate?”

“How?” I asked with suspicion, “This oughta be good.”

“If Leeya used a breast pump,” Monaavi asked, “would that meet with your approval?”

“But why go through all this bullshit?” I asked frustrated. “I mean, what’s the point? Why all of a sudden is it a big deal for Leeya to breastfeed? It all seems so stupid to me!”

I must have gotten Monaavi’s dander up because she shot back angrily, “I asked you a simple question as a ‘what if,’ and you go ballistic! You have no idea how hard Leeya has always worked her butt off helping to raise your children! She works as hard as any adult mother. Who do you think took care of a forty-pound five year-old single-handedly at six when your twins were born? She’s changed more diapers, held more bottles and been thrown up on a whole lot more than you ever will! You strut around with your chest out bragging about your kids but she’s served you faithfully without uttering a word or asking for your praise.”

Getting her second wind Monaavi continued her tirade shaking her slender finger at me from across the table, “You think that just because she’s ten, she’s just a child but you better think again, Buster. She’s more of a mother than many who’ve borne their own children. You say you’re thinking of her health and you are to a certain degree. We agree about the drugs, but what about all those three am feedings while you slept? She woke and did them for me with love and still did her studies and — tutored your children! I was just thinking that if it was possible for her to share in one of the rewards of motherhood, it would be a small payment for all she’s done for us and she’ll continue to do for Priya and her own children when it’s time. It’s okay for her to be woman enough to fuck and take your seven inches up her ass but she’s not old enough to nourish a baby. You’re a sanctimonious asshole!”

Ouch! Those weren’t cactus thorns, more like a spitting cobra! I sat looking at four women (Leeya was crying) who were genuinely pissed at me and Monaavi was right. I hung my head, not knowing what to say when Monaavi calmed down and said more civilly, “Look, Sean, I’m sorry I got so crude, but you know as well as all of us how much having a child means to her. Just let her try, if she can’t lactate, then so be it; but if she can, let her experience it. What’s the harm in that?”

“You’re right,” I admitted. “Leeya, if you can do it naturally, then I have no objections but again: no drugs!”

Leeya bolted from the chair squealing with delight, wrapped her arms around me and laying kisses all over my face exclaimed, “Oh thank you, thank you, Sean! Thanks for letting me try!”

“Humph” I noted, “If there’s six titties feeding this child, she be as big as a cow by the time she’s one! She’ll never be able to drink it all.”

“Oh well,” Mom sighed with a coy smile, “A father’s work is never done is it?”

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Priya did call her OB/GYN the next morning and discussed the idea of Monaavi being Priya’s “wet nurse” with him. He said that it could easily be accomplished and that it’s done all the time with adoptive mothers, especially with a woman who has breastfed before. He mailed Monaavi a prescription for a new birth control pill, Ortho 1/35 and one for Domperidone in two strengths: one 10 mg. and the other 20 mg. Later on, she would start taking the herbs Fenugeek Seed and Blessed Thistle Herb along with breast massage and pumping.

Dr. Simpson told Monaavi that we could find the Domperidone at several compounding pharmacies in the U.S. and that we’d have to go online to find one. It’s an anti-nausea drug for people with upper gastrointestinal problems and has the side effect of producing prolactin, a milk-producing hormone. Although not FDA approved, it can be legally prescribed and is approved by the American Academy of Pediatrics for this purpose. The change in birth control pill has an increased level of progesterone (which promotes lactation). He directed us to several induced lactation sites including La Leche for directions and help.

To prevent an unnecessary shock to her body and for the best results, Dr. Simpson recommended what’s called the “regular protocol”. It would take about five to six months and she could be producing milk when Malina is delivered which meant that Monaavi would have to start this protocol as soon as we could obtain the necessary drugs. He faxed a consent form to be given to the hospital authorizing Monaavi to nurse Priya’s newborn child.

Monaavi started her drug regimen a week later. I purchased two Medula breast pumps from the hospital: one for Monaavi and one for Leeya. Priya, Monaavi and Leeya teamed up and downloaded some all-natural induced lactation techniques. Leeya began to use a double breast pump for seven minutes every five hours to start with.

As with Monaavi, Priya was continually rubbed down with cocoa butter and except for a few at the base of her breasts and the stretch marks were minimal.

As Priya’s pregnancy progressed and her stomach started to swell, she had the same problems all pregnant women suffer: leg cramps, especially at night when she’d wake up screaming with a charley horse; backache, tender ribs and fatigue due mostly to her small frame, it seemed to affect her more.

Through it all, she remained cheerful, happy and expectantly anticipating giving birth. She didn’t let it affect her studies either and she maintained her grade level of 4.0. There was many a night where Tina, Leeya or one of us was giving her a leg or foot massage (and of course, the toe sucking pussy doing his job) while she studied. Again, this was a “family” pregnancy.

I find there is something about a glowing pregnant woman to be so sexy and truly beautiful. Priya looked absolutely beautiful pregnant! Her skin was flawless, the cocoa butter making it silky smooth and her hair thickened and really shone. She walked proudly with her swollen belly thrust out as she began to lean back more when she walked, shifting her center of gravity. From the back, she didn’t even look pregnant: it was as if the only thing that grew was her stomach and breasts slightly. I couldn’t believe that the tiny little girl growing in Priya’s little pot was of normal size. Priya’s belly looked like a tiny swollen soccer ball and it seemed to me that the little girl would be very small when born.

Her breasts didn’t grow much, only to about a small “B” cup, but most of that were her enlarged tubular areolae. Her nipples were very sensitive, sometimes being uncomfortable. Deep down, I shared her pain over the fact that she might not be able to breastfeed her child.

Just like with Monaavi, I had “pregnancy symptoms” right along with my Beloved. The morning sickness followed by leg cramps and backaches: I didn’t like feeling pregnant at all!

The last week in February, a couple of weeks before her eleventh birthday, Attiya reached menarche. With her, things went much better than with Tina. It happened during the day when Pita, Monaavi and Leeya were home. After the fiasco with Tina, they made sure that Attiya was instructed on what was to happen and she knew right away what it was. Pita, Monaavi and Leeya attended to her (thank heavens for that) crossing the threshold of womanhood. She was shy and self—conscious about it for a day or two but after that, life returned to normal.

Priya’s due date was the last week of April and she was now thirty-two weeks. Dr. Simpson said he wasn’t going to let her go past forty weeks so we pretty much knew that she’d deliver on time. Adib and Salima had earlier voiced a desire to be here so we arranged for them to fly over and stay for a month when Priya was thirty-eight weeks. We just hoped she didn’t deliver before then. I was afraid that Priya would go into labor or her water would break while she was in school. If that happened, it would take me about forty-five minutes to get to school to pick her up and another twenty to get to the hospital.

As far as the induced lactation, Monaavi was following the drug regimen as prescribed and although her breasts had enlarged as in a real pregnancy, she hadn’t achieved letdown yet. Now, with six weeks until delivery, she stopped taking the birth control pills, continued with the Domperidone, began taking the herbs and eating oatmeal along with pumping every four hours for ten minutes. Leeya’s breasts had grown slightly due to the pumping but with no results up to now.

Priya’s pregnancy had increased her sex drive. On one particular night, Priya sexily laid back on the bed with her legs open and stroking her swollen, baby smooth labia with a sultry smile. She cooed, “Wanna fool around? I could sure use a good lickin right about now.”

I crawled onto the bed like a stalking tiger to come up between her legs. When I leaned down and kissed her vulva and looked up, all I could see over her swollen tummy was her twinkling, smiling eyes. Teasing her I said, “Is this any way for a new mother to act?”

”Sure it is,” Priya giggled. “Mommies need lovin’ too.”

I split her crease with my tongue and she hissed, “Oooh yeah! Lick my pregnant pussy good and make Momma cum!”

Priya pulled her legs back with her legs alongside her swollen pot exposing her dripping snatch from mons to tailbone.

I slowly licked a line from her tailbone, over and around her anus and up her perineum to her tingle button. In response, she wrapped her arms around the back of her legs, thrusting her pelvis up and into my sucking mouth.

I pulled her petals open to expose her glistening flower and languidly licked up and down her crease, circling her hood and traveling back down. Every time I’d hit her clitty, she’d hiss, “Oooh yes! Right there!”

I drank up her flowing juices and headed north as her breathing turned to panting. Priya must have been experiencing some tightness in her legs because she released her legs, resting her feet on my shoulders and began to rotate her hips feeding me her treasure. Priya was rocking her pelvis rhythmically and moaned “God, Sean, I’m gonna cum soon!”

Knowing she was close, I licked up to her engorged clitty and circled the outside with the tip of my tongue. “Oh God, Sean, I love you!” she moaned out, “This feels sooo good!”

Strumming her clitty with my tongue, I looked up to see her pregnant belly jiggling back and forth as she rocked. There is something so erotic about making love to a pregnant woman and my dripping cock was aching for release. I brought my finger into action and slowly penetrated her and sought out her “G” spot. I began rubbing that rough spongy area at the top of her vagina and she blasted off.

Priya grunted a loud “Uuuhh!” and thrust up sharply and shuddered out her orgasm. I looked up and her stomach had tightened up and I could see a bulge where either the baby’s elbow or knee was pushed tightly against her abdomen causing a noticeable bulge.

Priya closed her legs tight, trapping my head in the process but at the same time pulled me by the hair into her shuddering pussy with her hands as she gasped and quivered. Her pussy gushed out her juices as her muscles contracted and I lapped hungrily at her effusion.

“Sooo good!” she panted with closed eyes and a satisfied smile.

As Priya panted, coming down from her climax, I said lustfully, “I need you!”

Holding her taut belly in both hands, Priya panted out, “Not in my pussy. I can’t take all of you there and I’m afraid you’ll break my water, do it in my butt.”

Priya turned on her side, brought her right leg up as far as she could. I slowly penetrated her sopping pussy and she was hot and dripping wet. I stroked a few times in her pussy, withdrew and coated her anus with her juices, doing this about three times until her back door was slick. I pressed my coated dick against her puckered star and said, “Push.”

Priya grunted and her anal ring started to spread as my dickhead slowly disappeared into her nether hole. When I popped inside, Priya clamped me with a panted, “Oh, it feels so big!”

I began to slowly rock and gained some depth. When I had about three inches inside her, I began to stroke slowly gaining depth as I went along. Soon, I my pubic bone was pressed against her taut butt cheek and I stopped, just relishing the feel of being so deep in her colon.

Priya’s rectum was white hot and smooth. I could feel the head of my dick brushing alongside the baby as I stroked slowly in her depths. Priya had her hand between her legs, rubbing her tingle button as she rocked sensuously.

Priya was panting in rhythm to my thrusts as I picked up speed. “Oh God, Sean!” Priya gasped, “It’s so deep, real deep!”

“Grip me, Baby,” I panted out as I worked in and out of her ass.

Priya began gripping me with her sphincter as I withdrew with an exerted grunt each time. As I stroked in and out of her I began massaging her stomach and little Malina was kicking like crazy as I pushed against her.

Feeling the baby move inside her while I fucked Priya’s ass set me off. Thrusting as deep as I could into her colon I groaned out “Can’t hold it! Here it comes!”

I began to shoot off with jerking thrusts as I spurted four or five times deep in her bowels. Priya felt my hot discharge and squeaked, locked her legs together tight and straightened her leg, arching her back. I’d spasm and jerk with a “Uuuh” each time and Priya did the same in unison with me, clinching my dry spurting cock deep within her.

I sat back on my haunches still impaled within her as we flinched with the aftershocks of our orgasm. Priya’s stomach was as tight as a hardened soccer ball so I began to massage her swollen belly. As her stomach muscles relaxed, Malina gave three forceful kicks against my hand demonstrating her disapproval in response to being squeezed so tightly.

When we’d both settled down and our breathing normalized, I slowly withdrew from Priya’s rectum. I went to the bathroom and cleaned off, returned with a washcloth and cleaned Priya seeping back door.

Priya was exhausted and was falling asleep in a semi fetal position and I crawled up alongside her and spooned against her. Priya gave a soft “Mmmmm,” and placed my flaccid dick between her legs as we fell off to sleep.

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The next evening was Leeya’s night. When we began to make love, she asked me, “Sean, suck my breasts, I want to nurse you.”

I enveloped her bulbous little nipple in my mouth and began to softly work her areola and suckle. I pulled off surprised and remarked, “I just got a little milk from your breast!”

“Really?” she exclaimed. “I’m really making milk?”

“Tastes like it,” I answered, “not much, but there’s definitely something there.”

I pulled off Leeya’s breast bud and she squeezed and pulled outward on her areola. A few drops appeared at the tip of her nipple and she tasted it saying, “It tastes sweet.”

“Suck some more!” Leeya replied gleefully. “Let me feed you.”

I suckled some more and damn if she wasn’t lactating a little. There wasn’t much but it was there and she was ecstatic. Leeya had two orgasms digitally as I nursed at her budding, weeping breast buds. After about a half hour of nursing, I may have gotten an ounce, but to her, it was more like a gallon! Needless to say, she made love hungrily and passionately that night, confident that she was more a woman now than at any point in her life.

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The following week, we picked up Adib and Salima at the airport upon their arrival. Priya moved in with Monaavi and gave her parents her room. They’d gotten a sixty-day visitor’s visa and would stay for the entire time.

They, like everyone else, were amazed at the size and grandeur of the estate. Once settled in we took a few day trips to Baltimore showing them the sights.

Priya was now thirty-nine weeks and counting when she started getting contractions that were about seven minutes apart at eight in the evening on a Thursday night. I called the doctor and he said to call him back when they were five minutes apart. This time, although apprehensive and giddy with anticipation, I didn’t panic like I did with Monaavi.

As uncomfortable as it was, Mom suggested we take a walk. Walking seemed to help with both the pain and to bring on her labor. Well, that idea was only good for about thirty minutes when Priya gave up and we came home. At eleven-thirty, her contractions were now coming every five minutes or so and I called Dr. Simpson back. He said to take her in and he’d meet us at the hospital.

We arrived at GBMC, with everyone in tow (seven including me) at roughly twelve-thirty am. Once admitted, Priya was put into delivery room eleven: right next door to where Monaavi delivered. Her nurse, Patti, helped her into a gown, started an IV and hooked her up to a fetal monitor.

Dr. Simpson examined Priya and determined that she was indeed in labor, was dilated one and a half centimeters but her water hadn’t broken. He said that he’d wait and see if it broke on its own but if it hadn’t at four centimeters, he’d break it. He then started her on a Petossin drip. He checked her chart and verified that she’d had her gamma globulin shot at twenty-eight weeks. He said that she’d get another after delivery. This was to prevent any Rh incompatibility.

At three-thirty am, Priya contractions were pretty strong and she was in quite a bit of pain. Dr. Simpson came in, broke her water at three and a half centimeters and called for the anesthesiologist to administer the epidural.

Once Priya’s water was broke, her contractions started to really come with more force. As we watched the strip on the monitor, we could see the line rise as her contraction gained force and then to turn downward as it receded.

The women seemed to be fairly calm including Priya but the men were a worthless bundle of nerves. I was the lucky one being able to occupy myself with giving Priya ice chips, wiping her face with a cloth and massaging her feet.

Dr. Simpson would come in every thirty minutes or so and examine Priya for dilation and go his merry way. Patti would pop in every fifteen minutes and check everything and leave.

At seven-thirty, Priya was dilated to eight centimeters. Technically, Priya had now been in labor for almost twelve hours. Her contractions were now coming about every three minutes, were forceful and she was pretty uncomfortable. I asked the doctor about it, but he said that they didn’t want to give her too much pain relief because when it came time to push, it would be harder with all the medication. They also had to worry about the baby.

At eight in the morning, the nurses changed shifts and guess what: Miko was her assigned nurse! She came in, gave everyone a hug and said that when she saw Priya’s name on the sheet, requested to be assigned to her. Priya hung in there until nine-thirty when Dr. Simpson, after examining Priya said, “Well, you’re now ten centimeters, ready to have a baby?”

Priya hooted a forced giggle through her breaths and replied, “I’ve been ready since midnight!”

“Well,” he answered matter-of-factly, “Thirteen hours is really pretty good for the first one, especially as small as you are. I think we’ll probably have to help your little girl out once we start.”

“What do you mean?” I asked worried.

“Priya’s pelvis is a little small and we’ll probably have to use suction to get the baby out. If that doesn’t work, we’ll end up having to do a Caesarean. We don’t want to do that because she’s already gone through the labor of a vaginal birth and we don’t want her to have to go through the recovery of a Caesarean on top of that.”

While he was speaking Miko was helping him get into surgical gear as another nurse readied the bed. When everything was set and ready to go, Dr. Simpson snapped his surgical glove with a smile and looking around and jokingly observed, “I guess I’ll be working with a live audience this morning.”

Dad readied the video camera and everyone else’s eyes were on Priya’s exposed vulva between her spread legs.

“Alright, coaches,” Dr. Simpson called out, “Take your places. Does everyone remember the drill?”

Mom now on Priya’s left with me on her right in unison answered, “Yes. Ready.”

Priya hooted out, “I’m as ready as I’ll ever be!”

Everyone chuckled nervously as we readied to begin. Dr. Simpson reminded Priya, “Remember, push for ten seconds then relax, okay?”

Priya, in the middle of a contraction, hooted as she nodded silently.

“Okay then,” Dr. Simpson said. “On the next contraction, we’ll begin. Now don’t get discouraged if this goes slower than you’d hope. Just do your job, push as hard as you can and we’ll soon have a crying baby. Ready?”

“Ready,” Priya, Mom and I affirmed.

“Now push!” Dr. Simpson ordered.

Priya pulled back on her thighs as we pulled back on her feet and I counted out the seconds. After forty-five minutes of this, Priya started to cry: the baby’s head hadn’t cleared her pelvis yet. Dr. Simpson tapped the inside of her thigh and encouraged her gently but firmly telling her that this was for the whole ball of wax. Her baby’s life depended on her and not to be discouraged.

With that, Priya seemed to find some resolve and nodded as she sniffled to regain control before the next contraction.

“Push!” he ordered again and the whole process started all over again. Thirty minutes later, the baby’s heart rate dropped a little but he said not to worry, everything was okay. On the next contraction, Malina’s head was now in the birth canal.

Dr. Simpson ordered “Suction.”

Miko responded by handing him a tool that looked like a gun with a handle and trigger but with a plunger-type suction cup on the end. He inserted it inside Priya and explained that he was applying suction the baby’s head and he’d pull as Priya pushed.

He braced his knee against the edge of the bed and when Priya started to push, he pulled forcefully. From the exertion on his face, I thought he might pull the poor thing’s head off but he assured us everything was alright.

Five contractions later, we saw the suction cup start to emerge. Now that the baby’s head and shoulders had passed Priya’s pelvic opening, he eased up on his pulling and Malina’s head started to appear.

She was facing me: Opposite of the way Cinny came out and I saw a full head of wet, matted curly jet black hair as her head slowly emerged. Her head came out with her face all scrunched up, her eyes tightly shut and her mouth twisted up in a weird looking grimace.

Dr. Simpson quickly suctioned her nostrils and throat as Priya’s next contraction came on. He pulled Malina up by the neck as her lower shoulder started to appear. He then tilted her downward as her other shoulder emerged.

“Just a couple more, Sweetie, you’re doing great!” Dr. Simpson encouraged. “She’s almost out. Just the hips, then we’re home free!”

As soon as her chest cleared, Malina’s chest expanded and she started screaming bloody murder. Her hips cleared on the next contraction and our daughter squirted out into his awaiting arms. I looked at the clock: eleven-forty am.

Once out, the room was filled with cheers, hug and tears of joy. Priya fell back exhausted and panted out a relieved chuckle, started crying and cried, “Oh merciful God, thank you for this gift!”

Salima fell to her knees and cried out in joy, “My baby has given life!”

Adib fell to one knee embracing his wife as they watched Miko attend to a crying, kicking Malina.

Dr. Simpson clamped the cord and Miko smiled broadly handing me the scissors saying, “I’m sure you know what to do, Daddy.”

I smiled back with a nod and cut the cord, freeing our daughter to begin her life.

I enfolded my beloved’s head in my arms as we cried, listening to the voice of our child crying. I kissed her tenderly and whispered, “I love you so much! Your wedding dream has come true, are you alright?”

Priya, with closed eyes and a soft smile nodded and answered, “I’m so exhausted, but I’ve never felt more alive in my entire life! Thank you, Sean. I love you more than you’ll ever know!”

I again wiped Priya’s forehead and gave her some ice chips as all the women moved to the warmer to look at our new addition as Miko gave her the Apgar test: Nine at one minute and ten after five minutes. In all her flailing, Malina inadvertently pulled the tiny heart monitor sensor from her chest but everyone laughed as if she’d done it on purpose.

Dad and Adib were in the sitting room crying as they laughed and congratulated each other. Dad came over to Priya, took her cheeks in his hands and kissed her lips tenderly and whispered, “You are my treasure, Darling, and you’ve given me a gift I can never repay.”

“But you have, Daddy,” Priya replied softly with a smile, “you gave me Sean!”

As Dr. Simpson sewed Priya’s episiotomy, Miko brought Malina over to Priya and laid her on Priya’s chest. Priya pulled down her gown and tried to put her to the breast but Malina balked: Priya’s bulbous areola was too big and tight for her to latch onto. Malina started crying.

It is so strange and marvelous how a woman’s body works because Monaavi came to Priya’s side and it was evident from her blouse that Monaavi’s breasts were visibly leaking. Mom asked her, “What happened, you’re leaking like a faucet!”

Monaavi just smiled and replied, “I don’t know, but as soon as I heard her crying, I started to leak.”

Monaavi unbuttoned her blouse, opened her nursing bra and put Malina to breast. She hungrily latched on and began suckling like mad. Monaavi giggled and said, “Boy, she sucks harder than either of the twins!”

Monaavi sat in a chair next to Priya, covered the suckling child and her breast with a receiving blanket as the men returned to the room. One could see the mixed feelings Priya had watching her sister nurse her newborn but she appeared happy that Malina was being given nature’s milk.

Miko told us that Malina was eighteen inches long and weighed six pounds, fifteen ounces. She had a full head of blue-black curly hair and her complexion surprised me because it was kind of a pinkish light olive, not brown. Miko said that if she has Priya’s skin color, it would gradually change over about a month once her skin is exposed to the ultraviolet light of daylight. She had the largest pure black eyes that were so dark her pupils were barely visible if you looked closely. The whites of her eyes had a bluish tinge to them.

Having fallen asleep at the breast, Monaavi broke the suction and handed her to Mom. Still covered, Monaavi went to the bathroom to put herself back together. Mom kissed and cooed the sleeping newborn then handed her off to Salima. Evidently, the sudden movement startled Malina and her eyes shot open for a few seconds before slowly closing them again.

Salima gasped out saying, “Allah be praised! Look Adib, she looks exactly like Priya when she was born only her eyes are a little bigger!”

“Priya,” Adib remarked, “she looks like your clone!”

I went to the sitting room and cried, overcome with emotion. Seeing a child take its first breath is such an unfathomable miracle to witness, there are no words to describe it! I had seen three of my children enter the world and every one was different, every one just as moving. I said a prayer of thanks to Allah for His blessings and for giving us a healthy baby girl and protecting Priya during her ordeal.

After my private moments of reflection and prayer, I was met with some familial ribbing saying that I was truly a weak-gene man. The twins looked like Monaavi and Malina looked like Priya. Leeya bolstered me by saying, “When I have Emma, she’ll look like Sean and Emmy.”

“Dream on, Leeya,” Mom quipped, “like she’ll have white shin, freckles and blonde curly hair with blue eyes: you’re really dreaming now!”

“I didn’t say that,” Leeya qualified, “I said she’d look like Sean and Emmy, I didn’t say she’d have the same skin color. She’ll probably be a honey color like me maybe lighter.”

“We’ll see,” Salima chuckled. “What if she’s a he and dark like Me Ma?”

“She won’t be a he,” Leeya rebutted, “and she won’t be dark: You just wait and see!”

I pulled Mom and Monaavi off to the side and mentioned, “I don’t know if you know it or not, but Leeya’s lactating: not much but she definitely has milk.”

Both smiled as they looked at Leeya and Mom replied, “Well I’ll be damned, isn’t that a pleasant surprise!”

Dr. Simpson had finished and moved on to another delivery as Miko finished cleaning things up. Mom pulled Leeya over and whispered in her ear. Leeya sat in the chair and unbuttoned her shirt. Priya was holding Malina who was making sucking motions in her sleep. Mom looked at Priya and nodded towards Leeya as she unbuttoned her shirt.

Silently, Priya handed me our child and I handed her to Leeya. Leeya tenderly brushed Malina’s lips against her budding nipple and Malina instinctively latched on and began to suckle in her sleep.

Leeya gasped and squeaked out, “I can feel it tighten deep inside me! She’s really drinking from me!”

Miko heard and turned around, surprised at first then smiled saying, “That’s a no-no according to hospital policy… but then, I didn’t see a thing.”

Malina released Leeya’s breast when she fell asleep and her mouth relaxed. Mom gave the baby back to Priya as Leeya buttoned up her blouse with a satisfied motherly smile. She had tears running down her cheeks as she touched her breast, remembering the sensations as she nursed Malina.

Whether it was right or wrong, we knew then by the look on her face that we’d made the right decision for her and let Leeya try.

I forgot about Miko standing there and jokingly commented, “Well, with all these lactating women, little Malina will never go hungry!”

Miko laughed the hardest above everyone else! She walked over and quietly asked Leeya, “How old are you?”

Leeya blushed and answered in a whisper, “Eleven.”

Miko’s mouth dropped and her eyes bugged open in disbelief as she looked at each of our smiling faces. Looking at the door (I guess to make sure no one was coming in) she asked bashfully, “You three women are his wives aren’t you? I’d never tell a soul, but that’s the way it looks to me.”

Everyone held their breath looking at me to give an answer. I looked at her seriously and asked to confirm, “You’re sure you can hold a secret?”

Miko looked at me seriously and answered, “Yes, your secret is safe with me.”

I smiled and said, “Priya is my first wife, Leeya my second and Monaavi my third.”

“I knew it!” she nodded as she smiled. “I knew when Monaavi delivered there was something about all of you that was too close to be relatives. I just knew it.”

Turning to Leeya she asked, “How did you start lactating at such a young age?”

Leeya answered, “I tried to take advantage of my raised hormone levels because I’m going through puberty, my birth control pills and I used a breast pump for four months to prepare. We weren’t sure if I could do it but Sean let me try anyway. I started producing milk a week ago. It’s not much but at least I can give Priya’s baby something and it makes me feel so proud to do it for her.”

“God,” Miko said as she shook her head. “You must really love each other very much to do this.”

“We do,” Leeya replied with a smile. “We depend upon each other with our lives.”

“Well,” Miko warned, “don’t let anyone else see you see you or you could get into real trouble, okay”

“We’ll wait until we get home,” I replied, “It’ll be safer that way.”

“I agree,” Miko concurred.

About then, a nurse from the nursery came in and took Malina to the nursery for her checkup and bath. We got Priya settled into a wheelchair and the whole tribe followed as Miko pushed Priya to her room. Once settled into her bed, everyone rightfully coddled the new mother and spent the rest of the visit extolling Malina’s beauty.

The new father quickly became the butt of a few jokes as Adib commented, “It’s a good thing she looks like Priya or she’d only be cute instead of beautiful: especially when her skin darkens. Can you imagine a black Sean? Yuck!”

This time, I didn’t forget the car seat! After Priya ate dinner, everyone gave her their love, praises and salaams and left for home about five pm. After everyone left and as Priya ate, I went upstairs to the cafeteria and grabbed a bite to eat.

When I returned, Malina was back from the nursery and lying in bed next to Priya asleep. Priya was in wonderland and she just admired her daughter as she slept, made faces and occasionally smiled in her sleep.

Malina looked even more beautiful! The nurses had combed her curly hair into a single finger-curl on top of her head. I sat on the inclined bed with Priya and Malina in between us.

I had my arm around Priya and hugged her close as she held our tiny sleeping daughter. I kissed her tears, even though they were tears of joy and in between coos to Malina she said softly to me. “I hold my love for you in my arms and now I’m complete. At seventeen, I’ve realized my dream. I cannot express in words what’s in my heart right now. Just believe that my love for you is boundless as it is for my child. Thank you, Darling, with my very breath, I thank you!”

“I’m so very proud of you, Beloved! You worked hard today and no one appreciates or understands what you’ve given today more than I! My very breath depends on you, as does my life. As I look at our daughter, it’s quite evident that our love is truly a wonderfully beautiful thing! I love you, Priya, I can’t express it in words, but I love you with all my being!”

Anyone who’s experienced the birth of a child understands the unspoken love and bonding between husband and wife, mother and child and father to child at having gone through such a miraculous ordeal. A lot of dreams were fulfilled this day: Priya’s wedding night dream, my desire to father a child with her from the moment I laid eyes on her and the vow Priya kept that released my father from his lifelong bondage. Not to mention Leeya taking one step closer to motherhood. All the diligent hours she put in with a breast pump to realize a tiny victory. A day like today makes me appreciate the tiny victories in life and, the thanksgiving that pours from one’s heart when dreams come true.

And let us not forget the fact that through the miracle of life, the world is a better place with a new soul in it!