4.19.2009

Something I Love...

about expecting a baby when I've already got babies: Talking to my children about the baby we're waiting for.

Calvin is especially interested in what the baby is doing and how she moves. He likes to lay beside me in the evenings and keep one hand on my belly to see if he can catch a little wiggle. Tonight he and Henry both waited and poked and giggled, thinking of a tiny person in there.

They liked hearing me tell them that when Calvin was inside of me, he liked to wiggle right up under my ribs and tickle me from the inside, and he liked to do somersaults on whatever side I happened to be laying on, pushing against the bed and causing me to jump-roll to my other side.

And Henry in utero didn't like any kind of waist-band around my belly - he punched or kicked along the whole length of any elastic band I ever wore, back and forth until I was sore inside, right where my pants or skirts fit. They thought that was hilarious.

After they stopped laughing at the thought of torturing me from the inside, they quieted down and Calvin said, "Mom, tell me everything the baby already has right now, all the things she can already do, even though she is still very tiny."

"Well, her whole body is already developed. She has everything you have - eyes, ears, nose, fingers, toes. She's can tell when things are light and she can hear sounds, and she even tries sipping things with her tongue and lips. Mostly, now, everything is getting stronger and fatter - her heart is getting stronger and her muscles are growing, and she is getting taller. Her lungs have to get stronger before she is born..."

"Oh, yeah, so she's probably practicing breathing, huh?"

"Well, she's getting ready to breathe, but she doesn't really breathe right now, because she's floating in fluid and she gets all the oxygen that she needs from her umbilical cord. She won't take a real breath until right when she's born - right then she'll breathe in really deep, and then she'll probably cry. That's one of the first things babies do when they are born into the world."

"Really? I'd like to be there for that, Mom. To hear her breathe for the very first time. Even if it's in the middle of the night."

"Yeah? Seeing a baby be born is pretty amazing, but it's a little bit of an unusual thing to watch..."

"But to see a baby take its very first big breath? I really, really want to. Yeah, even if it's in the middle of the night...I don't sleep much anyway."

7 comments:

Unknown said...

To see a baby take it's very first breath...what a lovely thought!

Z. Marie said...

Yes, the first breath is amazing. I'm not sure I want my 8-year-old there to see everything that accompanies it, though. (Not that I'm seriously considering that possibility, but the ob/gyn I went to for the first time Friday brought it up.)

Gabriela said...

Awww, that is so sweet-brought a little tear to my eyes. So sweet.

It is so fun having babies with other kids already around-it makes it more exciting.

Real said...

I've loved having my kids witness these last four births. I consider it a great responsibility to have my older girls there so they can see and learn and help me. Like how it used to be in the old days when all the women would gather for a birth. And when it was your turn, you already had a wealth of experience because you had already participated. And this last one was really sweet as my little boys were just mesmerized and so thrilled. I think it makes the baby belong to all of us, not just mom and dad.

Janelle said...

That is just the sweetest thing!

Now, are you going to let him do it? Maybe just for the pushing? I'm not sure what I would do if any of mine had wanted to, but they didn't so they stayed with grandparents each time.

Andrea said...

That's really cute.
I think it'd be so cool to witness the birth when it's not your own- and you just want the baby out. Although your own is pretty amazing too. It'd just be a very different perspective :)

TulipGirl said...

So Sweet!