Monday, July 13, 2015

Detour..proceed with caution

When a couple decides to start a family they both have in their mind their own ideas on how this plan will play out.  As a mother, I had a  dream of dance recitals, girl scouts, slumber parties, proms, weddings and grandchildren. Sometimes those paths take a detour.  This does not have to be a bad path just a different path. 

When I decide to have a child I was like many soon to be parents. I was  excited by the prospect of a new baby. The enthusiasm of my siblings combined with  the idea of the  first  grandchild made my first pregnancy more fun to me. This combination also made it more difficult for me to live in the moment of my pregnancy. I was impatient waiting for this child to arrive and my family was even more impatient. It felt like I was watching the sand in an hourglass.  My pregnancy was one of the happiest events in my life. I couldn't wait to do it again..and again...and again.

There were the usual baby showers and pampering by my family. The anticipation and eagerness seemed to drag on  forever. Waiting for this new addition to our family couldn’t happen any faster as far as my family was concerned. Everyone was making sure they could either fly or drive  to my house  to meet their soon to be niece or nephew.  

I remember the day like many other future moms do and it was full of emotions. I couldn't wait to meet my baby. Of course I had the usual thought that I wanted to get this baby out of me. It was June and I was swelling like the boy in the Willy Wonka Chocolate factory movie.
On June 27th everyone in the family was notified and off I went to the hospital. The hospital was only a 20 minute drive. It was a warm morning and the sun was shining bright. There was very little traffic. We didn’t speed to the hospital I knew we would have plenty of time. After all this was the first baby and everybody always says the first one usually takes their time.
I was surprisingly relaxed when I  stopped by  my mom and grandmas house to tell them we were headed to the hospital. They knew I didn't want everyone there watching me so they had agreed to stay home. When I think back on it I cannot believe they didn't jump in the car and beat us to the hospital.

Like many first time mothers the day stretched into the night and finally Meghann was born at 9:55 pm. by C-section. 8 lbs and 13 ½ ounces.  She had a full head of black hair and was beautiful.  A perfect baby girl. At least that is what we thought. It took 9 months for me to notice that things did not seem as perfect as I thought in the beginning. My path was beginning to twist around a way that I had never imagined. 


Detour....proceed with caution.