I only have one child, because she tried to kill me.
Going through the complications, the hospitalizations, the stress on my marriage, the fear and the sorrow and the anxiety… At the time it was all devastating. But then I held my healthy, beautiful daughter and I knew we had both survived it all. There was, of course, the natural biological rush of hormones and happy chemicals to ease labor and promote bonding. For me though, there was also a feeling of invincibility and adrenaline, like I had survived jumping off a cliff after a long tortuous hike to the top of a mountain. I don’t know how else to describe it.
Sure it could have killed me, but it didn’t!
Then factor in that for any woman, people will always ask when are you having another one? Peers at Mommy and Me, family members, old ladies at the grocery store, it’a a deeply personal decision and people treat it like chatting about the weather. Other Mom’s would tell me their birth stories and say but ‘it was all so worth the pain’ and I’d think, maybe I’m a wuss. Maybe I’m not as good of a mother as they are.
Think, too, of all the other stupid shit humans do that might kill them. Have you ever smoked a cigarette? Do you drink? Cross the street without waiting for the traffic signal? Drive or ride in a car? And if so, what did you get out of it? You could have risked your life, or someone else’s, for nothing.
These women are risking their lives, but they’ve survived this ordeal before. And in return, they bring a new life into the world!
I still wouldn’t do it again, but I can’t blame any mother who does.
… If it’s three days or less, do you just not brush your teeth?