#WIPpet Wednesday - Reunions (Shaunna and Andy - Pillow Talk) #amwriting
WIPpet numbers for 18th January, 2017:
(18-1)*17=289 words from Reunions
(18-1)*17=289 words from Reunions
The current word count on this beastie is 182,500! I think it’ll be finished in less than 200k, but don’t hold me to that.
I decided to go with this particular scene because daughter #2 brought her second tiny son home from hospital today. He was born six weeks early (tiny grandson #1 was twelve weeks early), and a short while ago, she was chatting to me on FaceTime whilst expressing, which she’s doing to keep her milk flow, and because tiny grandson #2 doesn’t like the right breast (I had this with daughter #1 – it’s rather fun to compare notes).
WIPpet Context: Shaunna and Andy are an established couple with twin six-month-old daughters. Just prior to this scene, Shaunna and Andy were…well, you can figure it out from the first line. ;)
* * * * *
“I’ll get the machine in a sec,” he slurred, drunk on sex hormones.
“Don’t worry about it. They don’t need me anymore.”
“Whoa.” Andy lifted on one arm, instantly wide awake again. He switched arms and peered down at her through the almost dark. “What d’you mean? The girls don’t need you?”
“Not me. My milk. It’s getting too hard. I’m hardly producing any now, but it’s OK.”
Andy moved to her side and fed his hand under her neck, drawing her close and kissing her head. “Talk to me, RHB.”
“It’s nothing sinister,” she lied. It was true her milk was dwindling, and expressing had become a chore she could do without. [spoiler removed] “Can I have the breast pump, please.”
“Sure.” Andy went to get it from the other side of the room. Shaunna switched on the lamp and watched his glutes ripple as he bent and stretched to gather everything. He turned and came back, smirking when he saw her face.
“He doesn’t talk,” he said, pointing down.
Shaunna grinned and took the breast pump from him.
Andy settled in the bed beside her with his arm under his head. “It’s still amazing.”
“What is?”
“All that milk.”
“Yeah, but cows? Look how much they produce.”
“Cows are awesome.”
“You are so weird sometimes.”
“In a sexy way.”
“Of course!” Shaunna leaned back and closed her eyes. “I could fall asleep like this.”
“Sleep if you need to. I’ll pack up when you’re done.”
“Yeah, I don’t think I will fall asleep for real.” She opened one eye and peered at him. “You’re still wide awake.”
“Yep. Why? Did you want to talk?”
“Not necessarily. Did you?”
“Nah. Unless you’ve got anything interesting to tell me.”
* * * * *
What is WIPpet Wednesday?WIPpet Wednesday is a blog hop where authors share from their current works in progress - expertly organised/hosted by Emily Witt - and the excerpt has to relate to the date in some way. For links to other fabulous authors' WIPpets, visit: http://www.inlinkz.com/wpview.php?id=355404
Thanks for reading
Deb x
Ooh, that's evil, removing the spoiler.
ReplyDeleteThese two are so good together. And very sexy! Are you sure Shaunna...? Never mind. ;)
Pumping breast milk is effing horrible, and those machines do indeed make one feel like a cow. I was glad I didn't have to do it for long.
Hehe. Can I interest you in Charlotte at all? ;) (I'm still giggling.)
DeleteThe spoiler is a biggie - not the main plot, but quite significant.
I pumped during the day (right breast, left reserved for child) and Nige got up at night. Daughter #1 hardly slept. She got a FitBit off Santa this year - it turns out she STILL hardly sleeps. Daughter #2 is a hangry one, so we didn't do so well with breastfeeding there. No patience.
Hm, Charlotte. Perhaps. ;)
DeleteThe hospital staff neglected to tell me that an epidural can make it difficult to breastfeed. Fortunately, the kids' pediatrician helped us get started. I managed to do extended breastfeeding both times, but I never really had warm-fuzzy feelings about it. It was pretty convenient in the middle of the night, though. I had it easy, since I was in school at the time so not working.
Wow. I didn't know that about epidurals - I'll pass that on to daughter #2, because I'm not sure they told her, either.
DeleteCharlotte's still a contender for my first foray into writing an FF/open relationship - if I ever reach the end of Reunions. ^_^
Yep, I'm not sure of the exact scientific reasons why, but the anesthetic used in an epidural can make a baby have trouble latching on, and it can stop milk production or slow it down significantly. (My grad thesis was on breastfeeding and human lactation, LOL.)
DeleteI would definitely read one about Charlotte. :)
I'm intrigued about the spoiler! Particularly as it comes right after Shaunna's insistence that there's nothing sinister going on. Clearly she's keeping something to herself, but what?
ReplyDeleteThe bit I left out would've distracted from the excerpt, although I think marking it as a spoiler has probably been more distracting. :D
DeleteI used a manual Avent pump. Not bad once I got used to it, but I did fling it across the room once (ah, the hormones that come with a new baby...)
ReplyDeleteI expressed milk for Son #2 during his 12 days in the NICU. Son #1 was 22 months old, and grabbed the backup pump. "Look, Mom. I'm pumping ear milk!"
I still love this huge almost-man who continues to say unexpected and hysterical things...a little like Andy.
The day I finally walked into the NICU with the requested 16 ounces of milk, Elijah was 12 days old. He died an hour later...
So when you talk about the babies not needing her milk anymore, I get nervous! Hopefully, I'm wrong. I would wish that reason for not needing milk on no mother.
This is very well-written; I can feel the history and love between them.
:( Hugs.
DeleteI love 'pumping ear milk'. :) How cute.
No - the reason her milk isn't needed (or she feels it isn't - it's more about other worries on her mind) is that the babies are growing up.
I remember feeling kind of like a cow with pumping/breastfeeding. They are not fond memories. 6 weeks is the longest I made it with either kid. My daughter didn't like to nurse, and my son constantly was so I couldn't keep up(and part of it was feeling so overwhelmed).
ReplyDeleteLoved the snippet.
My sister apologised to me because she decided to bottle-feed her second child and she thought I'd judge her poorly for it, but breastfeeding doesn't work out for everyone. I was lucky with one of mine, not the other, and I remember feeling a bit of a failure, but in the end what matters is that they're loved and we do our best for them.
Delete