Tell us about your first day at something —
your first day of school, first day of work, first day living on your own,
first day blogging, first day as a parent, whatever.
My first day
as a parent started around midnight feeling like I had the flu then going to
the bathroom and being amazed at how much I had to pee, finally realizing that
I was no longer peeing, but water was still coming out. After calling out to my spouse at the time and asking him
to bring me the “What to Expect When You’re Expecting” book and concluding that
my water had in fact, broke, I told him we needed to go to the hospital,
now. Seven hours later filled mostly
with back labor, shaking in between contractions, and a little relaxation in
the form of Nubane in my IV, I had my first beautiful, baby boy. And then, silence as the peanut gallery of
hospital personnel (every nurse and doctor attends when you have a child in a
tiny military hospital out in the middle of the Pacific Ocean where not many babies
are born) all left with my spouse and my newborn, leaving me with the doctor
who was busy sewing me up.
Later, I was
moved to a room with an ocean view, and sleep came quick and easy. I don’t
remember a whole lot of those first hours besides for visitors and struggling
to learn how to breastfeed a baby who wasn’t really interested in latching
on. I know there was a lot of amazement
(at this tiny little creature that had come out of my body and was so sweet and
helpless) and trepidation (as I worried about him not breastfeeding and how to
be the best mom to him that I could be) and there were lots and lots of visits
from all our Kwajalein family. Even more
than that, there was tons of staring at my newborn babe in wonder and watching
him breath while he was sleeping in his hospital bassinet next to me. There were first photographs, phone calls
home to Alabama, lots of balloons, flowers, and stuffed animals, and more than
anything, love for this new life brought into the world 3 ½ weeks before we expected
him. He was healthy (I remember being
worried about his little newborn cries, and my doctor told me, “it’s okay for
him to cry; it’s how he exercises his lungs.”), handsome, and although I didn’t
know it at the time, a relatively easy-going baby.
So, my first
day of being a parent was what I would call a great success, but not so much
because of anything I had done, only because of all the wonderful support I had
from the hospital staff and Kwaj community as well as the fact that it was a
smooth and uncomplicated birth. Thank goodness! Now, my first experience with
becoming a parent of two little boys was not so smooth, although still
wonderful, but that’s a story for another day.
J
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