First Born's Birthday

The tone of my relationship with my daughter was set long before she was born. From the beginning of my pregnancy I was plagued with problems, or should I say challenges.

I remember the day my labour pains started. Her father and I were in the grocery store, and my back hurt more than usual, and I felt these mild pains across my abdomen. But I wasn’t sure it was labour and said nothing to him, just waved him off to work for the evening.

The pains got worse, and I figured it was the real thing, and called him home. I decided there was no sense in his finishing his shift, it was Friday, and he might as well wait with me.

He came home and we waited for things to progress, by watching television. I remember exactly, it was the eight o’clock episode of Quincy. But the waiting got too much for the old boy, as we had more than forty miles to drive to the hospital. I could see his worried glances coming my way, like he was afraid I’d pop that baby out at any time.

I relented and we left for the hospital, and all my pains stopped, false alarm. We went back home and caught the ten o’clock episode of the same show. As always happens, my pains started again, but this time I was determined to see the entire show. We left for the hospital, at eleven, when the show was over.

I was in labour all night and into the next day. Walk around, the nurses said, and I tried, so long as there was a chair available when the next contraction came. My doctor guaranteed the baby would be born that day, and I took him at his word, as I was already 10 days overdue.

Well, he lied, but only by minutes. My labour never did progress, as that baby kept changing her position. Seemed she liked it where she was and didn’t want to battle her way out. The doctors won that argument by delivering her by C-Section, late that night, just after midnight.

I was asleep and missed the blessed event. When the nurses wheeled my bed out of recovery, back to my room, I asked what I'd had. They laughed as they'd told me before and detoured by the nursery so I could get a glimpse of my beautiful baby girl.

Beautiful, stubborn, determined and likes things her own way, at her own timing. That’s how it was that day and every day since, but always a joy.

Said with much love, knowing she’ll understand the feelings, as she’s a mother herself.

Happy Birthday.