We're Having Our Baby

Twenty One

Harry's P.O.V. December 1st

Charlie Robin Styles is born at 4:56 am on December 1st.

"It's a girl!" the doctor exclaims and gently places my beautiful, crying, baby on Em's chest.

"You did it, baby. She's here," I kiss Em again and gaze at our child for a minute longer before I'm taken out of my trance and asked if I want to cut the cord.

"Yes," I answer and wipe away a few tears. I take the scissors and cut right between the clamps on the umbilical cord.

Once that's done, they deliver Em's placenta and take Charlie to be wiped down, weighed, measured, and examined. Soon enough though, she's brought back to us where she now rests on Em's bare chest.

I can't help but feel left out that I haven't gotten to hold her yet, but my shirt is unbuttoned and ready for skin-to-skin contact.

"She's gorgeous," Em looks down at the baby we've created, and she worked so hard to deliver into the world.

"Here, you hold her," she looks to me and begins to lift Charlie until I take her and bring her as close to me as possible. Her nappy is comically big on her, and there's a blanket we're using to cover the back of her naked body so that she doesn't get cold.

I hold my tiny baby girl against my chest, taking in all her details, and sing softly to her for the first time since she's been born.

"Isn't she lovely?
Isn't she wonderful?
Isn't she precious?
Less than one minute old.
I never thought, through love we'd be,
Making one as lovely as she.
But isn't she lovely, made from love."

After another few minutes alone with our daughter, a nurse comes back to help Em breastfeed. It takes Charlie a few tries, but eventually she latches on and sucks like she's never ate before—which technically she hasn't.

Em tells me to stop staring while she feeds our baby, but I can't help but be in awe of my daughter and wife. I take this time though to text Mum, Gemma, and my dad. My mum and Gemma both need the sleep, so I don't call and wake them. Plus, I'm selfish and want more alone time with my girls before I have to share Charlie with the world, even if it's just my family.

I do call Jillian though. We actually FaceTime after Em successfully feeds Charlie for the first time. It's 10pm in California now so I text Jared as well, the same photo and information I sent my side of the family. Jared responds quickly, telling us how overjoyed he is that Charlie is healthy and although early, finally with us. He also makes sure to let us know that it'll be the first thing he tells Mason and Jamie in the morning. I really can't wait until the boys get to meet their cousin.

***

It's 8:30 in the morning and I'm holding little Charlie while Em finally gets some sleep. She was reluctant because she wanted more time with Charlie, but I could see how heavy her eyes were when she simply blinked.

Speaking of eyes, Charlie's are a dark gray right now, but I'm hoping they change into her mum's deep brown color. She has a lot more hair than I expected, and it's a light, golden brown, kind of like mine when I was a young child.

Charlie really is little, weighing at barely 2.7 kg, or 6 lbs, and 46 cm. The doctor says she's in the right height and weight zone giving how early she was, and everything else about her is healthy too. I didn't tell Em, but before she was in active labor, I started reading about the risks of having a baby premature, and since Em was 36 weeks, the baby is basically just at a higher risk for respiratory distress syndrome. Thankfully, we didn't have that problem, and Charlie can breathe just fine on her own.