On this date, 7 years ago, my husband and I were in the hospital, waiting, hoping and worrying. Waiting to find out the results of the most recent ultrasound. Hoping because one doctor had told us the goal was to get us to 28 weeks. Worrying because another doctor had told us he thought she would need to be born right away. Turned out Doctor #2 was right.
We asked a doctor from the NICU to come and explain to us what it might mean to have a baby at 25 weeks, especially one so small. Everything had happened so fast and we didn’t feel we understood what decision we were making. I don’t remember everything that the doctor said, but I do remember how kind and trustworthy he seemed, and I do remember him saying, “If you want to give her the best shot possible, then she needs to be born soon.”
I realized then, and I still believe it now, that all I can really do as a parent is to give my kid the best shot possible. I can’t guarantee perfection or even good outcomes. But I can do my best to provide her with opportunities and support her as she makes the most of them.
So today, I’m feeling a bit weepy, remembering those two scared parents who were so desperate to give their daughter the best shot possible. I wish I could tell them that one day she would turn 7 and be a really great kid. They probably wouldn’t have believed me entirely, and maybe they would have been wise not to listen. There are no guarantees.
But there is such promise in all of these babies, and what they need from us, from all of us, is to be given their best shot possible. That’s why I love the people I work with so much, because I see them doing that day in, day out. That’s why I love the parents I meet here so much because that’s what they do with their families day in, day out.
And of course I love my daughter, and I’m so proud of her. Her dad and I will continue to try to give her the best shot possible and she will continue to amaze us with what she does with it.
Happy birthday, sweetheart.
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| Rocking out with her little sister |
