Love and Acceptance

Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things...

One of the reasons that I love the ever-popular Corinthians 13 verse is because I feel like it covers all the bases of love - that not only is it patient and kind during the good times, but in times of trouble or worry, it continues to hope and endure beyond any other human emotion.  And so this verse has become important to me, again, in a way that I have not experienced before.

All is well with the baby, and, really, with me, too.  However, barring any improbably wild gymnastics, this little munchkin is head-up and staying that way.  This means that rather than pushing this baby out the old-fashioned way (with a birthing ball to bounce on, lots of pain medication, and a full-service hospital with just about any kind of medical equipment one could imagine, naturally), I will be having a C-section.  We have known that this is a possibility for awhile (and really, this day in age, it's always a possibility in any pregnancy, breech or not), so this was not a huge surprise. However, it was a emotional moment for me, giving up what little control I did have in the birth process and conceding to the idea of a major surgery. 

As I am dealing with several emotions - including the overwhelming realization that this is an any-day-now thing (which is exciting, but also does a number on my nerves!), coming to terms with the idea of having a C-section, and just the mere fact that life is about to change incredibly - I am exceedingly grateful for the support of my husband, who, even though I know he's overwhelmed himself with the idea of becoming a parent within a few short weeks, has been a rock of stability for me.  When he came in from taking down the Christmas decorations only to find me crying over a half-eaten sandwich at the kitchen counter, he calmly sat me on the couch and talked me through everything, again.  I am also so grateful for my doctor, who has had three C-sections herself and I'm sure sees the lines of worry in my face at each appointment, and has now three times talked me through the process of a C-section.  After confessing to her that I am panicked after hearing some horror stories from some evil women who thought it would be wise to tell the lady having a baby in 3 weeks everything that could possibly go wrong, she walked me through the process again and even assured me that it will be a calm, quick process that will leave me with nothing but a baby to hold and a recovery that I can handle.  And, finally, I am grateful for one good friend who also had a c-section due to a breech baby. She walks into my classroom every morning to remind me that it will be fine and I will soon have a beautiful baby girl to hold (thank you, MW). 

And, so, in the face of something unfamiliar, I am doing my best to remember that this is by far not the worst thing that could happen, and our sweet little bundle of joy will be here before we know it.