Cassie's POV
Eight months later...
"It's a girl!" The doctor cheers as she holds up mine and Chad's child. We waited to find the gender out as a surprise. It pissed my family off to no end as I broke the cycle of generational trauma endured by the oldest daughter.
I take my daughter as the nurses show Chad where to cut the cord at and I calm my child.
"Hi there Zara Marie Kroeger. My little love." I whisper and she gurgles at me as Chad sits with us and kisses the top of my sweaty head.
I went into labor at 4am and its just now noon. The nurses take her to be weighed and run the precautionary tests to be sure she isn't sick as they stitch me up, as Zara tore me a little with her big head.
I get my daughter back and attempt to breastfeed her with the lactation specialist in the hospital's help and eventually she latches on.
Sometime later, my dad, stepmother, and half sister walk in. Somehow, Amelia and Briar still got married six months ago and are welcoming a baby boy soon.
"Really? You have to do that with us in the room? You should have more respect for us and yourself and bottle feed her." My stepmother says and I roll my eyes as Chad stands up.
"Cassie has chosen to breastfeed and will do so whenever Zara is hungry, not when you please." He says firmly and she looks to Dad who sighs.
"Hey, the baby has to eat just like the rest of us. I have no issue with it as long as she keeps herself covered when I'm around. I don't care either way. Besides breast is healthier and a hell of a lot cheaper. Found that out with Carmen and Cassie years ago. Zara bottle feed Carmen because she wasn't producing enough milk to feed her naturally and it costed an arm and a leg to get the formula for her as she had a sensitive stomach. Zara produced plenty of milk when Cassie came along and was able to breastfeed her." Dad says and she scoffs as Amy looks at Briar.
"Maybe we should try to breastfeed to help keep costs down each month." She says and he shrugs.
"Whatever you want to do babe, it's your body I have no say." Briar says and I smile as my stepmother leans to whisper furiously into Amy's ear.
"Hey! I'll have none of that! Just because you had a silver spoon in your mouth from the day you were born and were bottle feed, doesn't mean she has to do the same. We both can break the cycle of trauma on daughter's in the fucked up family." I say and she scoffs at me as Chad takes Zara.
"She should respect herself and her parents, as well as her husband and feed the baby in the most respectful manner, which is by a bottle. I fed her by a bottle and she turned out just fine." She says and I sigh as I look at her.
"Lora, look, I was 9 and Carmen was 12 when Amy was born. We watched her stay on the bottle for years, as you didn't breastfeed her. You say that the most respectful manner of feeding us by a bottle, but honestly you have no say in how Carmen, Amy, or myself feed our children. I'm doing it because I want to hold her close for a while at a time and to soothe her. Carmen and Amy are doing and done it to save money, as it's a hell of a lot cheaper than buying 40 bucks worth of formula each week." I say and she looks at Dad who shrugs.
"Lora, like I said earlier, it's up to the girls how they feed their children." Dad says and she scoffs as she looks away from us. Carmen and James show up sometime later while Lora, Dad, Amy, and Briar are all here.
"Hey baby sis." Carmen says as she hugs me and sees Zara in her bassinet beside my bed and smiles down at her niece.
"And you must be little Zara Marie. You look just like Mom." She says and I see Lora have a smile on her face, thinking Carmen was talking about her.
"Actually I think she looks more like my-" Lora goes to say but Carmen cuts her off.
"Mine and Cassie's biological Mom, not you." Carmen says and Lora scoffs as she looks to Dad again for help but he shrugs.
"You knew that Carmen was talking about her Mom and not you Lora." Dad says an Lora stands and looks at Briar and Amy expectantly.
"Listen, Lora, I have tried my hardest to respect you out of respect for my wife, but you grate on my everlasting nerves. Amy doesn't have to do a damn thing you tell her, yeah she's 19, but a legal adult. She isn't helpless and I'm damn sure not a lazy ass who won't do anything like you say all the time. I see why both Carmen and Cassandra moved out when they hit 18, you can get very irritating at times." Briar says and she storms out as Amy looks to Briar.
"Thank you." She whispers and he hugs her as Dad hugs all three of us.
"Cassie and Carmen, I'm sorry for trying to force you two into unwanted marriages. It's just that all my three older sisters were matched with eligible suitors and married off before they were 20 and I was trying to do the same with my oldest daughters. I'm sorry. Chad, James, take good care of them and my grandbabies. I know I fucked up a long time ago." He says and I sigh as I watch him leave. Briar and Chad go to find a doctor to help set up Amy's appointments here so Lora has zero control of them anymore.
I hand Zara to Amy and show her how to hold a baby, since she never held one before.
"And you just prop her head up like that so her neck doesn't wobble." I say and she smiles as Zara opens her eyes, showing off her bright blue eye color.
"I wish I would have held your first baby, but mom said I wasn't allowed since the baby wasn't alive." She says and I sigh as I remember mine and Chad's first baby. Our son, Chance. Chance had Trisomy 13 and only lived for seven hours, by the time Dad, Lora, and Amy got to the hospital, he'd already passed away, I just refused to let him go like Chad kept trying to get me to do.
"You were only 15, Amy. Chance had Patau's Syndrome and it caused his death. I was 23." I say and she nods as she holds Zara.
