Page 15 of Daddy Erik
Dr. Madsen scrolls through my chart slowly, thoughtfully, not rushing the silence. The room smells faintly of antiseptic and lavender hand soap. The paper crinkles beneath me when I shift.
She hums softly. “Based on your preliminary labs, I suspect you may be what we call a fast responder.”
I blink. “Fast… responder?” Erik’s hand rests on my knee. Warm. Grounding.
Dr. Madsen turns the tablet toward me slightly, but keeps her tone gentle and educational rather than clinical.
“There are three reasons I believe that,” she says, lifting one finger.
“First, your baseline prolactin level is already sitting in the upper-normal range for a non-lactating woman. That doesn’t mean you’re producing milk now. It means your pituitary gland responds efficiently to hormonal signaling. Some women require aggressive stimulation to increase prolactin. Your body, on paper, looks primed to cooperate.”
Primed. The word settles somewhere low in my stomach. She lifts a second finger.
“Second, your estrogen and progesterone levels have shown gentle and stable cycling over the last year. No major endocrinedisruptions. Your thyroid panel is excellent. Your fasting insulin and metabolic markers are healthy. When we induce lactation without pregnancy, we’re essentially convincing the body that it has carried and delivered a child. Hormonal stability makes that simulation far more effective.”
Erik nods once, as if he understands every word. Maybe he does.
“And third,” she says, her voice softening slightly as she sets the tablet aside, “your breast tissue exam.”
Heat creeps up my neck. Dr. Madsen rolls her stool closer and snaps on a fresh pair of gloves. The sound is soft but precise.
“Alright, Claire,” she says gently, “go ahead and lie back for me. Place your hands behind your head.”
The paper on the table crackles beneath my shoulders as I recline. The overhead light shifts slightly, brightening my chest.
“I’m going to begin with a visual inspection,” she explains. “I’m looking at symmetry, skin texture, vascular patterns, and nipple structure.”
Her eyes move clinically. “You have excellent symmetry,” she murmurs. “No visible dimpling, no skin retraction, no discoloration. That’s excellent.”
I swallow.
“I’m now going to palpate the outer upper quadrant of the left breast. This is where most glandular tissue sits. You may feel firm pressure.”
Her fingertips press in small, slow circular motions, moving methodically from the outer edge inward. She uses the pads of her fingers, three fingers together, exactly as I remember from my own time working in medical offices.
“I’m assessing for masses, fibrotic changes, and cystic pockets. Everything feels smooth.”
Her hand shifts slightly deeper, pressing toward the chest wall. “Tell me if anything is tender.”
“It’s fine,” I whisper.
She continues the pattern, moving in a clockwise spiral, covering every section. Upper outer quadrant. Lower outer quadrant. Lower inner quadrant. Upper inner quadrant.
“No nodularity. Good distribution of glandular tissue.”
Then she moves toward the areola.
“I’m going to gently compress here.”
Her fingers apply light pressure around the nipple, testing elasticity.
“This helps me assess duct integrity and projection.”
Heat floods my face even more.
“Elastic tissue,” she notes calmly. “Good resilience. No inversion. That’s promising for latch compatibility and mechanical expression.”
Mechanical expression. I feel Erik shift in his chair. Dr. Madsen continues narrating.
