Now that I'm a Mom
Submitted by AnaYoga on Thu, 11/30/2006 - 05:00.
by Ana Hourahine
span lang="en-US"It
was almost 4 years ago now. I was 3 months pregnant with my first
child. I'd had many complications right from the start: lots of
bleeding, visits to the emergency room, numerous ultrasounds, and many
sleepless nights wondering if my baby was going to be ok.
span lang="en-US"And then, September 11th happened.
span lang="en-US"All
of a sudden, my own problems seemed insignificant. In the days that
followed, I watched the news in disbelief and disgust, unable to look
away. Like most people, I was waiting for something good to happen. Anything, to rekindle my faith in humanity. I made the following entry in my diary on September 12th : “Why am I bringing an innocent child into this messed-up world?”
span lang="en-US"The
months passed by, and eventually, things started to get back to normal.
I had made it to my third trimester, and it seemed that the earlier
difficulties were behind us now. That is, until more complications
occurred and I was placed on bed rest and monitored at the hospital.
span lang="en-US"A
week later, over a month before my due date, my first child, Jasmine,
was born. She weighed only 3lb. 7oz. Her head was about the size of my
clenched fist. Her legs, I joked, were like little licorice sticks, so
tiny that the hospital band around her ankle, set at its smallest
setting, slipped off. I could place that same hospital band onto my
finger, like a ring. That’s how small she was. Despite her size and
what seemed like an eternity at the hospital, she did incredibly well
and was a healthy and happy 6-month-old.
span lang="en-US"I look at her now. She knows nothing about September 11th,
but one day she will. When she is older, I will tell her about my diary
entry, and how pessimistic I felt about the future. But I will also
tell her about all the good things that happened at that time: the
incredible doctors and nurses who helped bring her safely to this
world; the staff and volunteers who were so good to us while we were in
the hospital; the endless love and support we had from our family and
friends.
span lang="en-US"My confidence in humanity has been renewed many times since September 11th
because of simple acts of kindness from strangers, professionals and
loved ones alike. If I can teach my daughter to be compassionate, to
grow up wanting to help others as we have been helped, then I will have
done my part.
span lang="en-US"As
much as we’d like to, we can’t always protect our children from all
that is wrong with the world. We can, however, show them that they can
make it a better place.
