Today is my beautiful daughter’s 33rd birthday. I’ve been reminiscing all day about the day she was born.
14 months previously, I had given birth to my son, David, and he had only survived for 20 minutes. No answers back then as to what had happened, other than to tell me that I “probably” had a virus during pregnancy, try again one day, it’ll be ok. It’s never been “OK” and although the years have helped the scar of his death fade and with the fading the direct pain goes, every time I “see” that scar, I think of him and what he would be today.
I’ve learnt a lot since then and now I understand what happened. Not through any medical geniuses telling me, but because when my son was born, they came in and gave me an injection within a few hours of his delivery. Back then, not many people questioned nurses and doctors as to the “whys” but I had and was told “You’re an O Negative blood group dearie, and David was a Positive blood grouping. This is to stop you building up antibodies that will harm any future children you carry”. When Natalie was born, I wasn’t given this injection and questioned the doctor as to why. He told me that Natalie was the same O Negative grouping that I was and so it wasn’t needed. I accepted that at the time and then when I had my second son, Dale, 2 years later, I was once again told he was O Negative so no injection.
Prior to falling pregnant with David, I had suffered a miscarriage and as I have no idea what blood grouping the baby I miscarried had been, I now assume that it would have been a positive blood group and so my body had rejected David. What a wonderful thing medical technology is now. Had that happened today, …..well you all get the gist.
Back to Natalie’s birth day.
When I went into the labour ward, they steered me towards the same room I was in when David was born. I refused to go in. Told them I would rather deliver her in the car park than go in that ward. They “tut tutted” me but when they realised I had no intention of following their instructions, they steered me to another ward, but not without telling me how silly they thought I was being. Natalie was born in no time and a healthy bouncing baby. I can still remember the first time I held her in my arms and the promises I made to that little bundle of joy. She is now a grown woman raising a wonderful little boy herself. She has had her own journey to travel and I am so proud of her I could bust.
Besides being the most wonderful mother in the world, (yeh, I’m biased lol), she is now working with the aged population, caring for them as though they were her own family. Natalie is also a registered Marriage Celebrant. She is an inspiration.
I can’t believe 33 years have passed since I held her in my arms, checked every finger and toe (probably a million times), and felt my heart beat wildly with my promises to her of a wonderful life. I don’t know if I fulfilled every promise I made that day to her, but I’ve tried my hardest and I wouldn’t change anything that I did because I’m sure that what she is today, is due to the journey she has had.
One day she was a little baby, trusting everything I did and said and next thing I knew she was a woman, with a career, raising a child of her own, with her own thoughts, ideals and goals. 33 years! Where have they gone?
Chrissy
