I was an incredible mom before I had children. I am (gulp) humbled to admit that I looked on to plenty of moms and how they treated their children with the disapproving reaction, “Well, I would never…”.
Then I had my own 2 children and I ventured into the land of the “I Would Never…”. If you are a parent you too have made the trip into the humbling waters. You now find yourself army crawling out of bedrooms to make sure the baby’s sleep is not interrupted, you hand your child the dreaded dirty keys and cell phone, you turn off ringers, and threaten your older ones if they so much as breath heavy that they will be punished once you finally get the baby down for the long awaited nap. In the heat of the moment, you will do just about anything and everything just to make it all right.
My moment came today after receiving the disappointing news that our little girl has decided to turn breech on us. She has hung out for 38 weeks head down and real low. I swear she may have even offered me a few high fives every now and then when I go to the bathroom. Apparently the extra fluid that I have accumulated is helping her become a little swimmer in her last few weeks and she has decided to venture towards my ribs for a better view with her bum facing down. Baby girl apparently has not gotten the memo that she has to remain head down so she can come out in 12 days (but who’s counting?). And if she is anything like my first two, she will grab a hold of those ribs and plead not to come out until she is inevitably given the final eviction notice.
So the plan, turn the breech baby asap in order to avoid a c-section! I turned to the only source I could trust…Google. Ha! Brace yourself for some fun finds and even better videos when you venture this route. Now, it’s time to strap on your seat belt because you are about to ride the bumpy waves from the land of “I Would Never”. Here are a few of my favorite discoveries from my Internet search:
Place an I-pod or flashlight by your pubic bone to encourage the baby to go towards the light and/or music.
Place a bag of frozen peas at the top of your belly to encourage them to turn away from the cold temperatures.
My personal favorite…put a clothespin on both of your pinky toes squeezing the toe nail and toe together in order to apply pressure for 30 minutes a day.
I will admit, frozen peas were attempted and I decided hyperthermia was not one of my better choices as a mom. Instead I decided to focus on my own words of encouragement shared with my daughter today. I was fighting back tears on the way home from the appointment and this is what she said:
“Mommy, why are you so sad?”
“Well Mommy just feels a little overwhelmed right now.”
“I am sorry you are so stressed and overwhelmed Mommy”
humbled by my daughter and her reaction and quickly questioning my own tears…
“You know Parker, I may feel overwhelmed right now, but the truth
is God put this baby in my belly and God has taken care of her every step of the way. So now it’s time to trust that God is still in control of your baby sissy and how she will arrive safely. Sometimes it’s easy to talk about how much we love God and trust Him but right now Mommy is being given the opportunity to live out her faith and she needs help trusting Him and putting her words into action.”
“That’s ok Mommy, Baby Sissy will be great!”
She’s right, Baby Sissy will be great. I quickly jumped into panic mode of what can I do to make it “right” rather than resting in the fact that IT IS already right. She is strong, she is healthy, and she is a blessing we never thought we would have in our lives. Regardless of how she arrives on the scene for her big debut, she is a gift.
And just like God’s timing, I found this tonight in a magazine:
“There’s a special word for the baby inside a mother. It’s not a fetus or an embryo or an accident or merely a potential human being. A mother carries the image of God inside her. The child is a reflection of His love.”
I have to admit, I love to hold the reigns and call the shots. But once again, I am humbled by another detail of this pregnancy and a still small voice reminding me, “I placed this baby in your womb and knit every hair on her head. Now please step back and let the Master work.”
Thank you Jesus….now back to my handstands! Just kidding, after all, you know “I would never”.
Kelly
xoxo