Page 84 of Nanny for the SEAL

“He’s right.” She pats my knee. “You can relax. Your baby is doing fine. It’s common to still be using the pill if you didn’t think you were pregnant, and you’ll be okay. Definitely stop now, though, if you haven’t. And nausea can change for everyone. If you literally can’t eat and can’t even drink water, that’s a concern. If not, just try to hold out. It should go away when you’re about twelve weeks along. Ginger can help, too.”

There is so much to consider, and my head is spinning from all the things I have to be careful of now. As I sit up on the table, Barbara tells us to wait for the doctor to come in, and I can’t keep my legs from jittering.

“I know you’re nervous, babe. But I think we’re okay. The ultrasound was normal, and we’re just going to talk to the doctor about what comes next.”

I nod, struggling through a deep breath. I offer Xaden a smile, holding his hand before laying my head on his chest.

“I know. It’s just…a lot.” When I look back up at him, Xaden takes my face into his hands and kisses me. “That helps, though.”

He laughs, and we wait about ten minutes before the doctor comes in. She’s a taller woman, probably about five-nine, and she has her dark hair pulled back into a quick ponytail.

With a smile, she pulls up the rolling chair to the end of the ultrasound table and takes a seat.

“Hello, I’m Dr. Liebman. I looked over your ultrasound, and it looks great. You’ve got a tiny bean in there getting nice and cozy.”

I relax a bit. Dr. Liebman has a nice smile, and she comes across as warm and genuine. I need that.

“I know this is your first pregnancy, so there are a few things to keep in mind for smooth sailing.” She flips open the clipboard she brought in and pulls out a little stack of stapled papers. “This covers some of the basics, and I encourage you to only do enough research to make yourself comfortable. Some sites can use scare tactics to lure you in, and you have no reason to be worried about any of that right now.”

I take the paper, nodding my head as I internally remark on how well she has me pegged. I would have hopped on the internet already if it weren’t for the crippling nausea.

“I will try to avoid it.”

Dr. Liebman nods. “Good. So, you’ll want to avoid a few foods. They’re listed here, and there are medications and drugs that you can’t use either. You already know this, but no drinking or smoking.”

She turns to Xaden. “I’m counting on you to help our new mama here get through her forty weeks without a hitch, okay?”

He nods, grinning down at me as he squeezes my hand again. “Of course. Anything I can do.”

“That’s what I like to hear.” Dr. Liebman nods. “If you have any questions you don’t want to Google, you can call the office any time. On the second page are a few things you should be on the lookout for, but otherwise, just get your rest, try to eat as best you can, and relax as much as possible. Stress is never your friend, but especially not now.”

It takes me a moment to nod after that one. I’m already on edge nearly every day because of the shit going on with my father. I can’t let that affect my baby.

“Okay. I hear you.”

Standing up, Dr. Liebman helps me to my feet and walks with Xaden and me to the door. “You’re going to do great. Don’t worry. You’re all done for today, but go ahead and schedule your next visit with the receptionist out front. We’ll be seeing each other regularly, but I’m not looking to overanalyze every little thing. Humans have been doing this for millions of years, so you can trust your body to know what it’s doing.”

There is nothing about Dr. Liebman that I don’t love. She is so incredibly tuned in to what a pregnant person might need to hear, and it is a huge comfort to this extremely worked-up new mom.

Mom. Still so weird.

“Thank you, Dr. Liebman. I really appreciate it.”

She gives me a light hug, and then Xaden and I go to the front desk to schedule the next visit. It’s not for a little while, and as we walk to the car, I start reading over the packet the doctor gave me.

“How you doing over there? You look like your head might explode.” Xaden starts up the car as I glance over at him.

“There’s just so much information. I understand why she said not to go nuts on the internet.”

Xaden laughs. “Yeah, I have a vague recollection of that. I think they even make apps to let you track everything. But I’m following your lead. You determine how much you want to dive in or if you’d rather just let it be.”

I’ve got my phone in my hands when he finishes talking, already looking up pregnancy tracker apps.

“I’m going with this one. Compares baby sizes to fruit.” I flash him the screen, and Xaden laughs at me. “Shut it. I need the play-by-play.”

“No judgment, babe. You do you.” As we pull out of the parking lot, Xaden hangs a right, which isn’t the way to get home. “How about we go to lunch to take your mind off things? And try to get some food in you.”

Feeling alright at the moment, I give him a shrug and nod. “I’m not sure if that will work, but I’m down for lunch.”

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