Pointers For Parenthood (Backpost)

Posted on Mon Aug 18th, 2025 @ 8:53pm by Commander Chisato Nishikigi & Captain Taiga Aisaka & Lieutenant Amu Hinamori M.D.

1,209 words; about a 6 minute read

Mission: Preserving The Past
Location: USS Tokyo (NCC-91101)- Sickbay, Deck 4
Timeline: January 22, 2397- en route to Amerind

"Well, Doc, looks as if everything checks out," the nurse reported as she wheeled Amu out into the main lobby. "We've seen no drastic changes in your son's vital signs, and all of our scans indicate that he's been hitting all his major milestones: hair growth at 30 weeks; first weight gain at 31 weeks; lanugo starting to fall off at 32 weeks; first signs of light sensitivity at 33 weeks; and fingernail growth at 34 weeks. By our calculations, he looks to be on track for an early March delivery."

"You do know that I'm fully capable of walking..." Amu protested. She pulled herself out of the chair and stood up. "Even if it is killing my back."

"Yes, but we're taking precautions to mitigate the chances of causing any unnecessary stress to yourself or to the baby," the nurse politely assured her. "We don't want your boyfriend having a kitten, now do we?"

"It's not like he's here right now. All civilians were transferred off ship." Amu replied. "He's upset he'll miss the birth, but he understands the current situation." She explained simply.

"One more reason for you to look out for yourself, Doctor?" the nurse was quick to point out. "If he's not here for the last six weeks of your gestation, then the onus would surely fall on you in ensuring your child's well-being?"

"You make it sound like it was him with the baby inside his belly not me." Amu said. "I'm the one waddling around like a penguin right now. Trust me, I'm more than capable to looking after myself."

The nurse chuckled. "You know, it's funny; back when I was pregnant with my first child, I was probably of the exact same mindset as you. Of course, I just so happened to be an incredibly stubborn pregnant lady, and every time I tried to do something I was explicitly forbidden from doing while pregnant, I'd typically wind up on the floor looking like a dumbass and questioning some of my life decisions."

"You've had three right?" Amu asked.

"That I did," the nurse replied. "And thankfully, I learned enough from the mistakes of my first pregnancy, which subsequently made the next two a lot easier- although my husband did wind up keeping a closer eye on me to make sure I didn't do anything stupid like I did with the first one..."

"That is something you're going to have to explain now, you've peaked my curiosity." Amu said.

"Well, I suppose this discussion was going to be inevitable," the nurse chuckled. "Well, for starters- what exactly are you wanting to know? What to anticipate when raising a boy, or how I got coaxed into raising three?"

"I've read about child development and all that. But I'm most likely going to be raising this little one alone, at least until civilians are allowed back on Starships." Amu said. "I'm going to need all the advice I can get..."

"Well, the first thing you gotta keep in mind is that not all boys are going to turn out the exact same way," the nurse went on to explain. "Despite the fact that I applied the exact same parenting strategies to all three of my boys, and treated them as fairly as was within my power to do so, I'll be the first to attest that all three of them developed vastly different personalities as they grew older. And this can be chalked up to a combination of social and environmental factors that influence their worldview- what they like, what they feel is right, and what they want to do with their lives; you can apply my strategies to the letter, and I guarantee you that you'll still get a different result. The best you can do as a parent is to instill some basic values of what is and is not acceptable behavior, and let that serve as the foundation for how his personality develops. If he has interests, be supportive of them- within reason, of course, you don't want to be encouraging him to bring Daddy's phaser into class and use it on another student just to see what happens- but you've always got to keep in mind that he is his own life, and while you as a parent are at least partially responsible for giving him the framework to live it, a lot of choices in his life he has to make on his own."

"That applies to most children," Amu smiled. "At the moment I'm not too worried about that. I'm a little nervous about when he decides to make an appearance though..." she said as she placed a hand on her bump.

"Well, not to alarm you, but the first stage of labor, from the time contractions begin to when the cervix reaches full dilation, is typically longer for male fetuses than it is for female fetuses," the nurse went on to elaborate. "Now, I understand that's probably going to raise some red flags, but I just want to assure you that there's plenty of scientific evidence to suggest this is normal, and it usually never crosses the mother's mind to opt for an artificial delivery- only in emergency situations would that even remotely be considered."

"Thanks... Nice to know it'll be a long one..." Amu replied sarcastically.

"There also tends to be a higher incidence of fetal distress and operative delivery with male infants, such as forceps and vacuum-assisted delivery, but this is not always a guarantee," the nurse continued. "I never had any complications of fetal distress with any of my sons, so it's entirely possible that this may not apply to you. If, however, you're informed that there's likely to be complications with your delivery, then you'll want to speak with a healthcare professional in ensuring that all your options are considered."

"That's not exactly helping you know." Amu said. "Shouldn't you be saying stuff like 'it'll be an experience' and 'it's going to be worth it in the end'? That sort of stuff?" Amu asked. "Plus I know all of this, I have delivered babies before..."

The nurse chuckled. "Well, it's not exactly a trip Wrigley's Pleasure Planet, sweetheart; but the moment the drugs wear off and you're holding him in your arms for the first time, all the pain you'll have gone through in the past nine months will be insignificant compared to the unbridled joy you experience when you realize that this is your son; you've just created a life, and now you, as the parent, are entrusted with the responsibility of giving this life the tools he needs to succeed on his own."

She winked. "No pressure, of course."

"Of course." Amu said. "Anyways, I should get home. I'm sick of seeing sickbay for once." She told her pointing towards the door.

"By all means, Doctor." the nurse gestured. "Don't let me keep you waiting."

"Thanks," Amu replied as she walked slowly towards the door. She looked back briefly and gave the nurse a small smile before leaving.

Posting by:

Lieutenant Amu Hinanori M.D.
Flight Deck Chief Medic

Lieutenant Soyo Hamada
Nurse

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