I remember when my daughter was first born- the joy, the exhaustion, the pride, the amazement. I knew that birth was a miracle but after experiencing it first hand, the word miracle took on a new meaning. Suddenly I had a little bundle of life in my arms. This little tiny being came from me! She was so fragile and she relied totally on me. I became forever a different person. I became a mother.
Becoming A Mother
The process of becoming a mother had, of course, started even before my baby was born. I spent so much time preparing for my baby to come. I had my husband paint. I chose the artwork, the crib, the changing table. I carefully watched sales to score on baby clothing. I inventoried my baby gifts to figure out what baby essentials were still missing. I wanted everything to be perfect and ready when the baby came.
I prepared for a home birth. I went dutifully to my midwife appointments. I let my midwife prod my belly and listen to the heart beat. I ate well, I exercised the right amount, I did everything right and I was shocked when the midwife told me, my daughter was in breech position.
This experience started me on my journey to learning that as a mother, you are not always 100% in control. Part of becoming a mother is learning to deal with the fact that this baby that will have a will of it’s own. My daughter was trying to help me grasp this concept already! After recovering from this unpleasant news, my daughter educated me further by not coming until 8 days after her due date. Eight days felt like an eternity. It really was a lesson in letting go of my expectations and accepting what I was dealt and learning to embrace my circumstances to the best of ability. Moms come to know all about developing a plan B!
I know that this happens to many moms during the birthing process where things don’t turn out as we had wanted or expected but we have to learn as moms that we can’t beat ourselves up about it. We can’t control everything and that is OK. Becoming a mother, means we just have to keep doing our best for ourselves and our little ones and looking at the positives.