The Birth of a Baby Boy…and a Mommy

Aeron at a few days old–photo credit to my own sweet Mama!

Nearly seven months ago, a little after two o’clock in the morning and after about twenty-five hours of labor, a soft, warm, pink, little bundle was laid naked on my tummy, with a lusty yell and damp golden-brown curls.

And my life was forever changed.

Aeron and Anthony

There’s a reason I’ve been rather absent from this blog for a number of months now—a very special reason, one with a four-toothed grin and amazingly fair hair (the marvels of recessive genes!) and the softest, most kissable drooly cheeks. A little boy who has stolen my heart and dearly loves his father and enthusiastically scoots after kitties and embraces life with gusto

My baby boy, Aeron.

I’ve been wanting to write about him for a while here, but not only has the time been hard to find, but I’ve had trouble knowing even how to put into words the emotions and change and wonder of these past few months. So I’ve decided to just share simply here, and more in coming weeks as the thoughts and words begin to flow.

It was quite a journey, waiting for Aeron to come to us—first two episodes of bleeding early in my pregnancy that led to a month of bedrest last November, then a few months of normalcy before

concerns spiked again with sudden polyhydramnios (excess amniotic fluid) at 32 weeks. We had nearly two months of twice-weekly monitoring and ultrasounds, and questions of whether we needed to switch from the homelike birth center we’d hoped for to the nearby hospital.

But by God’s grace, our little guy decided to come two days before we needed to make that final decision, and with three skilled midwives and an experienced OB in attendance, Aeron was born safely and naturally (though with a bit of vacuum extractor help needed at the end) in the birth center, surrounded by soft lighting and worship music. None of the possible complications of polyhydramnios manifested, and he literally came out hollering—as Anthony says, he was protesting his eviction notice. 🙂

During my pregnancy, though I loved my baby dearly and trembled each time complications arose, I hadn’t felt the deep, instant connection with this little one in my womb that I’d always dreamed of. I wondered sometimes if that would continue after the birth—if I wouldn’t immediately “fall in love” with my child. I’d heard stories where that bond only came later.

But I needn’t have worried. In the moment he was laid on my chest and I wrapped my arms over his wet, tender little body, all the months of exhaustion and nausea and hours of labor were—just as I’d always heard, but never knew it was so true—instantly, without a question, worth it. As a brand-new mother sobbed on a Call the Midwife episode I saw recently, “I’d do it again tomorrow!” All I can remember saying after he was born was, “Oh, my little baby, I love you so much.” We didn’t even know yet whether he was a boy or a girl—though in a moment, Anthony got to take a peek under the blanket and make that fun announcement.

Motherhood has filled my heart with joy, humility, and gratitude in new and tender ways, and continues to teach me more about the grace of God…a lesson I seem to need perennially. I hope to write more about some of these soon, but for now I just wanted to share with you, dear readers, about this precious little guy who has entered our lives and our hearts. And yes, a few pictures!

Thank you for your patience, and many of you, for your prayers through this sweet, sometimes overwhelming, amazing season. We are grateful.

As I venture back into blogging in this new season of motherhood, I’d be interested to know if there are any particular topics or aspects of Aeron’s story–or this new journey of being a mommy–that you, my readers, would especially like to hear about. So in the comments, feel free to make a request! 🙂