I was so excited when I was pregnant with my first born. From picking out the name, creating the most ridiculous nursery a child could ask for, folding all the over-priced-soft-as-a-baby’s-bum blankets to designing the perfect labor, I did it all by the book.
My delivery plan was very important to me. I had decided on a natural birth, hired a doula and had my doctor sign off on the fact that I could do something forbidden like eat popsicles and gummy bears during my delivery. One of the most important things for me was hand picking each person that would be in the room during my joyous moments of child birth.
The list was easy. My mother, my grandmother, my aunt, my dearest friend Beth and of course, my husband and my lovely doula. Everyone was excited and couldn’t wait for the day when we would all share in the experience of bringing our little girl or little boy into the world.
May 28, 1995 rolled around and I awoke with a jolting pain that I knew was the start of my labor. The explosion of my breaking water made it’s presence known before I could even climb out of bed. Game. On. We timed the contractions with excitement, placed calls to everyone on our list and within a few hours we were on our way to the hospital. My family members somehow managed to arrive before us and I was greeted with the excited chaos that only a baby being born can induce.
And then things got interesting…
Above is the beginning of a post I have written for ABC and the Million Moms Challenge.
How fortunate was I in all three of my pregnancies (and you probably were too if you are reading this) that I was allowed the privilege of frivolous thought? Boy or girl? Girl or boy? So many mothers here in the U.S. and around the world are not as lucky. They wonder if their babies will be healthy, if the baby will survive childbirth, if they themselves will survive it. If the birth is successful, they deal with the first years of life being riddled with health issues, a lack of vaccinations and malnutrition. Please help me to help ABC and Million Moms Challenge change the face of pregnancy and motherhood for those in need.
Please click the link to finish the story and show your support for those mothers around the world who are in need. Don’t forget to sign the petition and enter for your chance to win a Million Moms Challenge Gift Pack, which includes an iPad2, a custom-made Million Moms Challenge pendant and a $50 donation in your name to Global Giving
About Stefanie
