In my last post I wrote about how Charlie has recently begun asking questions regarding the night he was born. I encouraged each of you to write down all the details about your child’s birth. But you may be wondering what details should you include? Below is a list of ideas to get you started.
- Write about where you were when you realized you were in labor, who you were with, etc. Or if you were induced write about how and why your doctor came to the decision that inducing you was necessary. Write about how you felt during all of this.
- Write about going to the hospital. What did you do to prepare? Who took you to the hospital? What happened once you got there? How did you feel?
Write about how your labor progressed. Who was there at the hospital with you? How did you feel? How long were you in labor? If you had a c-section, how and why did the doctor come to the decision that a c-section was necessary? How did this make you feel? - Write about the moment your child was born. Who was there with you? What did you think when you first laid eyes on your child? Didyour child cry right away? What did others in the room with you do and say?
- Write the details of your baby such as weight, length, APGAR scores, etc. You could also include a physical decryption of your baby such as hair color, who he or she looked like, etc.
- If you held your child immediately, write about that. How did it make you feel?
You don’t have to stop there. You could continue writing about your hospital experience.
Also, just because an adoptive Mom doesn’t physically give birth doesn’t mean that she doesn’t have her own birth story to share. If you were there when your child was born you could probably answer many of the above questions in your own words from your point of view. If you weren’t there when your child was born you could still write about where you were when you found out he or she was born, what you did, who you called, etc.
Whether you are a birthmom or an adoptive mom, writing down your version of your child’s birth story is something that he or she will appreciate one day.
