It’s the most natural thing, but…
Monday, April 28th, 2008I hate births. The whole process of babies being born makes me very nervous. I come by it naturally. My parents lost their first child due to a bad forceps delivery. If my first child had been born one hundred and five years ago as to five years ago, I would have lost both a child and a wife in the same day. Like I said, everything about the whole process puts me on edge.
Some good friends of ours were convinced they wouldn’t be able to have kids. Then a “Christian” adoption agency turned them down as adoptive parents (which, as an adopted child still makes me see red). But somehow, after years and years of trying, they conceived nine months ago. They decided to give birth at home with the assistance of a midwife and a doula. Great idea; my mom was delivered in her parents’ bedroom with the assistance of my great-grandfather who delivered most of the kids in that part of the state. But, still, it made me even more nervous. So when I read on their blog on Sunday morning that she had been in labor for nearly a day without any action, I was really scared. I spent most of the service at church figuring out how to follow along on their blog just so I would know when they finally went to the hospital.
The end of the story is that I just talked to the proud papa. The baby is fine, but mama’s got to heal up a bit. I fully understood it when he said that up until he saw the baby’s head that yesterday was the worst day of his life. Heck, there are parts of our birth story that are not fit to print or even mention in any circumstance. For some it’s a wonderful process full of endorphins, but for my friend and me it was a hellish experience which reinforced the fragility of life. But I don’t know if a more wanted baby has ever been born then the one who made her appearance yesterday. And for that it’s all worth it.
