Welcome back to The Zookeeper Lessons.
Well, obviously from Lesson #2, you probably figured out that we got things settled just in time for Mo's arrival. We even managed to squeeze in a baby shower (the only one I ever got to have) and elopement with the JP. Mo was born two months to the day from the initial test.
Now the Mommy Mentors who had hard deliveries should probably look away for a minute. I'll tell it quickly and quietly so it is easier to ignore. She was born on three hours of labor and no drugs. Gotta love the band-aid approach. Just rip it off and be done. Happy, healthy and perfect.
Fast forward nine months when I got to call my parents and say, "Happy Anniversary! Your gift will be here in approximately seven and a half months." That's right campers. Another pill and breastfeeding baby. Thou shalt not rely on a single version of birth control. That wasn't the Zookeeper Lesson - just a freebie!
This time I was aware of the pregnancy the entire time and it was taxing, trying and downright uncomfotable. Kinda like pregnancy is supposed to be! We clicked along neatly for 7 1/2 months with no complications and no worries. Then I woke up Good Friday morning just feeling "off." I wasn't too concerned because I had the day off to prepare for my parents who were coming to visit for Easter. I even sent Beloved out to the golf course and took Mo to school like usual.
I remember telling my boss that there was a very good chance I might be in labor. Still, I went home and packed a bag and waited two more hours to call the doctor. I still had a full six weeks to go so I was sure it was just Braxton Hicks. Unfortunately I ended up calling Beloved off the 12th hole for another three hour delivery.
This time though I didn't get to go home with my baby. He ended up spending the next two weeks (which is really no time at all I know now) in NICU until he could breath on his own. We endured a collapsed lung, chest tube and ventilator and I went home empty handed.
The Zookeeper Lesson #3. Heartbreak and tears are a part of motherhood. Sometimes it will be your children's tears that break your heart. Sometimes it will be your own tears shed over your children. But the answer lies in the same broken heart. Keep the love. Nurture it and tend it well and the very love that causes the heartbreak will also bring the healing.
