You will be one month old tomorrow. One month. When did that happen?
You're asleep on my chest now. When I breath the air from my mouth
moves your hair. Very fine, very blonde and very smooth hair. We were
supposed to go for opening of your uncle's exhibition but you decided
you want to eat and eat and cry and eat some more. You've waited until I took
off my shoes and my skirt and my tights and then you stopped crying. I
guess you just wanted to stay in.
I made myself a cup of tea and I lay down next to you and we took a
couple of pictures and you were posing and coping my expressions and you
were the sweetest. Then you pooped and farted. I changed your nappy,
your clothes and I washed your face( you complained).
And here you are. Sleeping and smelling of this instant happiness. One month old tomorrow.
I've wanted to write your birth story since it happened. It got deleted
three times now and three times I cried because I've put all the details
there, for you maybe and for me, to remember. I felt like the greatest
person in the world, and maybe I was for a moment- when Zoe put you on
my chest and your daddy cried out of the biggest and purest happiness.
This is what I remember today, month later:
• how when it started I made myself think it's not the real thing yet and continued to make tiramisu;
• when I called your father to come home quickly because I just didn't wanted to be alone;
• how I was taking a bath when he arrived; how we laughed; how I burned
all the candles, how he kept on boiling more water in a kettle to pour
in the tub;
• how out of the sudden I needed to get out and was bouncing on the ball
and your father was cleaning the tub out of the wax; he needed his
hands full, he needed a task;
• how we went to the hospital for the first time and they checked your
heartbeat and my contractions and how they send us back home; the
corridors were empty and I vomited; I remember the taxi back home;
• how I spent big part of the night in legs of bed, on the floor, leaning and going through it all;
• when I took another bath and was falling asleep there for thirty
seconds at the time and I burned the rest of the candles; how
multicoloured wax was covering the whole bathroom;
• how the only thing I ate back then was two dried apricots and how I
kept on drinking water from big plastic jug with a red straw;
• how it got bright out of the sudden and how we spent that morning with
your father- he was half asleep and I was sitting on the edge of the
bed; how calm and quiet we were, how we hold hands for the last time
alone, just the two of us; how the room was orange and how you could
feel something above it all in the air, how profound and beautiful and
painful and horrible it was; how many times your father told me I'm
doing great, how important it was and I kept on breathing;
• how on a way back to hospital they told me to scream and I didn't want to scream because I knew I need strength not noise;
• how they checked us again and told us to go for a walk and come back;
• how very tired I was at that point already; I wanted to sit on a
toilet forever but the toilet was dirty; how we sat in the middle of
canteen and there were people everywhere and light everywhere and people
were old and ill and I was in pain and I struggled and your father was
there, always there to hold me;
• how we came back and it rained, we had to stop every couple of steps;
• how they checked us again and told us we can stay; how happy we were,
how relieved, how weak was I but kept on smiling, how they told me I'm
dehydrated and I need to eat and drink, how they moved us to room 7
• how I ate and drank and out of sudden I felt great, I had power and and we've met our midwife, her name was Zoe and how she was the
most amazing person we could wish for, how great we understood each
other straight away and how we laughed on the same jokes at the same
time;
• how I took a shower and shaved my legs and put the conditioner on; I was in active labour, after 38 hours of contractions;
• how I kept on sitting; how I wanted to dance and put the make up on, how I really felt the greatest power;
• how out of the sudden I got fever and had to be transferred to the
delivery floor, how I was upset about it but knew I just have to get in
with it, with whatever my birth brings to me, just accept it and move on;
• how Zoe told me nothing will change, how I trusted her, how she said
that her women have things the way they want to have them, how I trusted
her, how we smuggled a tub of fruit mentos inside
• how we got upstairs- and I was on the wheelchair and refused to think
bad about it- and nothing changed like Zoe promised- there was number 7 on the door;
• how they took lots of blood from me and connected me to the monitors
and I couldn't go to the toilet as easy and how I refused to feel bad about it,
how for the first time in the history of being me I really was going
with the flow;
• how your father was there and he was getting more tired but was stillgiving
me water and illegally he was feeding me with fruit mentos, how he
found my lip balm, how he tried a bit of gas and air, how brave was he
even if on the second plan, as a supporting act;
• how they kept giving me things and how I kept on declining others;
• how I still tried to joke, how many times Zoe told me she loves me and how I trusted her about it;
• how when things got very strong your father held my hand and I looked
on Zoe, on her ear, on her purple guitar earring, how it kept me going;
• how suddenly they both got excited cause you were coming anytime and I was thinking that great at least someone has fun;
• how your heartbeat was so strong and happy and healthy all the time
and how thankful I am because god knows what they would do to us if it
wasn't;
• how I was pushing for for hour and a half and I asked your daddy to
take a photo and I felt your head going out of my body and how surreal
it all felt;
• how I had no power and I kept saying "I can't do this" and they've
been saying "you're doing this" and how I thought "what can I do if I
tell my self I can?"
• how I pushed without contractions because I was tired and scared and I wanted you to be here already;
• how you arrived; how surreal; how slippery; how heavy; how beautiful;
how; how smelling of a lake; how you knew me; how you didn't cry; how
your father cried; how did that happen;
• how the rest was a blur: someone sewing my ladies bits, me laughing,
you pooping on your daddy's hand, Zoe bringing us toast with butter and
jam and tea and leaving( can you imagine being such an important part of
somebody's life and then just walking away quietly?)
• how they wheeled me downstairs to the ward and how proud I was with you in my hands;
• how I spent first evening with you crying because "you will never be one day old again"
• how the first night with you was the happiest night of my life when I
slept, holding you close, against the regulations but according to my
heart.
Just like now.
So you're one month old. We survived. You are healthy and happy. I
didn't hurt you. I didn't break your arm or your leg. You cried maybe 6
hours in total. I learned so much about you and I still do every day. I
learned so much about myself and I need to grow myself for you every
day. I need to take care of your father. We are family now. He works so hard for us. There's so
much words, so many feelings, it's so hard and so beautiful and crazy.
You're one month old and you are greater than universe.