A New Baby Changes Everything

I remember seeing my pinewood derby car going down the track; it was silver, blue letters on it that said sonic and black wheels that sounded like a hot wheels car going down a track. I was only 6 years old when that happened. Now I stand in front of the board representing Boy Scouts of America, ¨Congratulations, you are officially an Eagle Scout.¨ It hits me all the sudden like a wave hitting a sea wall, an 11 year journey just ended and it’s time to see the outcome.

The morning was foggy and I could see the front of my school through my window. It was a nice sight to see. I walked into the kitchen to make myself a bowl of cereal and there she was with her head down on the table. I could tell that she arrived a couple of hours ago because the tears hadn’t dried from her cheeks yet. I got myself ready gave her a kiss on her forehead and headed off to school. I had walked into class eager to see what my teacher Mrs. Padron had in store for today. Every single day there was something new to learn and there’s something about that infinite nature of learning that really appealed to me as a child. I cherished those 7 hours I spent in class the most I could and I dreaded the mere thought of having to go home where I would have to face the

Dawn Kingston (assistant professor of Faculty of Nursing) studied a s survey done by ‘6,400’ mothers and how their experiences before they got pregnant, during pregnancy, and after delivery. With her research she offered first time views

There were numerous powerful testimonies and striking findings noted throughout the and first two chapters of the book Birth Matters by Ina May Gaskin. As a health care provider, and therefore someone who is entrusted to care for individuals during their most private and sacred times, I found Gaskin’s statements regarding the environment and care surrounding birth experiences very impactful. According to Gaskin (2011), the “women’s perceptions about their bodies and their babies’ capabilities will be deeply influenced by the care they recieve around the time of birth” (p. 22). The statements made by Gaskin in Birth Matters not only ring true, but inspires one

I was shocked when I first heard I was pregnant. I had recently drifted away from the first cherished, writing husband like a weathered plastic bottle drifting into the ocean. It was a simple good bye; we both knew it would not work out. Five years after the first marriage, I was adamant about finding another person to share my struggles professionally. I felt lonely, suddenly reminded of my nomadic life – my seasonal commute between rural

Staring down at the baby; my baby in his little plastic box, I was overcome by a fear I had never felt before. I would later find out that his box was called and isolate, a special bed for premature babies. His eyes were covered with gauze, he had a tube in his nose that was assisting his breathing, and he was so small. Awestruck, I watched his slight movements. His mouth moved as if he was searching for something. His tiny hands grasped for something to hold on to. I slowly reached my finger to his hand and he clutched it with all of his little might. His grasp sent shock waves of love through my body that I had never experienced in my life. I was a mother.

Have you ever been told that you couldn’t have a kid? Well, Kathe Hoch of Sinking Spring, PA did, she got told when she was younger and was really disappointed. From that point on, she never thought she would have a kid in her life. She also realized she had a lot more responsibility after having a kid than before she didn’t have a kid. Kathe did not think life after a kid would be different but now she says it is a lot better and different with a child. Kathe Hoch was a good student at the Governor Mifflin School District. She didn’t really like math but she loved English. Kathe looked up to be a veterinarian or a teacher growing up but never became one. A baby her was like chocolate to a little kid. 14 Years ago in 2003, Kathe gave birth

For my interview I decided to talk to a young mother that I met in one of my classes. For her privacy I will call her Sofia. Sofia told me that she had her first child at the age of 17. At this young age she was very unprepared for what was to come.

“No we need to go now. Get in the truck,” he instructed me. I reluctantly walked out, telling the kids we will be back soon. So we drove to the doctor, got the news, and drove home. Immediately I walked out to the barn to start cleaning. There hasn’t been a dust storm in weeks, so I was hoping it would last a little longer. I had rejected going to the doctor for so long. I was already a few months into pregnancy. I didn’t know how I could hide it from my children but I didn’t want them to worry about

I stared in amazement down at my son, Harrison. He was laying in an incubator with tubes everywhere. He was born fifteen weeks early and weighed two pounds at birth. He laid there so helpless, yet he was my hero. He and I had spent twenty-five weeks together. Six of those weeks we had spent in preterm labor, practically laying on my head the entire time to see if I could stay pregnant with him as long as I could. He stayed in the hospital for eighteen days.

‘When you have children it transforms you,’ she thought to herself, as if displaced from the horror of the surroundings, ‘It brings your centre of gravity away from you and into a physical being, one you would do anything for.’ For a moment, she let herself recall the first time their eyes opened, staring into what felt like her soul; their first laughs reverberating within her; the

I can honestly say going through labor was the most painful thing I had ever experienced. Once Freddrick finally did arrived I knew that I would love him unconditionally for the rest of my life. He was just as precious as he could be and didn’t have a worry in this world. I didn’t know the type of mother I would be, but I was determined to be a different type of teenage mother. I wanted to show everyone I might be young with a son, but I made sure Freddrick was taken care of financially, Freddrick came first in my life at all times, Freddrick had disciplined in his life, and that he would know that mommy would always love him regardless of what happens through life.

I thought my greatest and overwhelming nightmare that tormented me unremittingly throughout the duration of my pregnancy had become a horrible reality. It was 9:00 on a Tuesday morning, when I experienced the initial intense labor contraction. Without hesitation, I instantaneously grabbed my cell phone to communicate with my loving husband, but to my surprise it went straight to the most dreaded voicemail. Unfortunately, I had no viable means of reaching him, because Shaw Air Force Base was partaking in a quarterly, scheduled, week long war readiness exercise. Thus, my severely distressed mind had to nippily acknowledge the reality that my magnificent bundle of joy was making his long anticipated entrance into the world eight days early, according to the estimated due date. This delightful narrative will take the reader on a breathtaking, yet frightful journey through pre-labor, active labor and the delivery of my son, Dorian Josiah Heffner.

You are now in a room with a woman and her baby – not long after birth and it feels very surreal. The bathwater is still red and there is a strange odor in the air that one might associate with two things, sex and childbirth. Her parents are in-between cooing over the baby and trying to console their daughter. This is a one bedroom home not much larger than your own bedroom and the chaos precludes any quiet. Her controlled but joyful expression cuts through the madness and reassures me. This is how I remember by grandmother, this is how I imagine her first child birthing went. The same expression that always greeted me, in good times and bad, led our family. This lady was the definition of a matriarch or what such a definition ought to entail. The soft innocence of that baby, my father, also embodied the goodness. I hope this goodness is repeated in the next generation, the next iteration of the family. I hope to embody this

I will never forget the moment my labor began, the moment that marked that step in my journey into motherhood. I can remember everything about it so clearly. My mom, fiancé, and I woke up early Friday morning to make our way to Western Missouri Medical Center. I stood in front of the mirror looking at my belly knowing it would be my last time standing in that bathroom with my baby inside of me still. It was a bittersweet moment that I cherished as long as I possibly could. I was set to be induced that morning and very excited, yet a little bit nervous. I had no idea what to expect. I’d been waiting a very long 37 weeks to finally meet this precious human that had been growing inside me. I had ideas of what he might look like, and what the experience might be like, however nothing could have prepared me for what was in store over the next few days.