The water broke and I was reminded of what my body had been preparing for during the last nine months. The wetness encouraged me to change quickly, pick up my overnight bag, and drive quickly to the hospital with my husband. Admissions, and then the bed – all this while experiencing the contractions that were a precursor to the actual delivery.
The delivery … There are a few things I remember: the anchor of the motif on the t-shirt my husband was wearing; the contractions and my efforts to breathe through the pain; holding onto my husband’s arm with all the strength that I have; the faint bustle of the nursing staff and the commands of my doctor. All this, however, faded into the distance when I heard my daughter’s cry and saw her wrinkled, pink body for the first time. Holding my baby in my arms, I realized I had become a mother, a mommy, a mom. The delivery of this child was my second task – the first was carrying her safety for nine months. I prayed that I was up to the task that lay ahead of me.
My little one is now a teenager and we will celebrate her fourteenth birthday in a few weeks. I look at her, as well as my second, and feel that I have been blessed to experience motherhood with these two wonderful girls. Motherhood has not always been easy: interrupted nights, decisions to be taken, sacrifices to be made. But would I give it up? No, I would not. Motherhood is an experience that I do not regret and one that I look forward to continuing.
What has been your experience of motherhood?
© Colline Kook-Chun, 2014
(This post was inspired by the A – Z Challenge hosted by Frizz. This week M has been tagged)
Colline's Blog 
I never experienced that feeling of the waters breaking, I just went into labour. Many many hours of it. I remember someone saying to me, a very long time ago, that childbirth was the most positive pain in the world, because when it stopped you would have something wonderful. So true. Gorgeous post Colline, my first will no longer be a teenage next month, she is all grown up.
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I think that is why our mothers forgot to tell us about labour and the physical experience of giving birth 🙂
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With my first child I felt a lot of fear as I contemplated giving birth. With the second and third, too. By the fourth and fifth I felt empowered by this very concept – that the pain was a very positive pain. Each contraction brought our family a little closer to holding the latest member of the family in our arms.
I also came to accept the pain as part of the process and that as the intensity increased, so too did the final pain that brought that child into the world. After that, remarkably, the pain completely ends!
We sometimes horrify new mothers-to-be by recounting our own pain during childhood. Often we forget to mention that the pain ends immediately after the child’s birth and the joy of holding a new little one is one of the greatest joys anyone can experience.
What other experience in life offers that combination of emotion? Rugged determination met with inescapable pain abruptly replaced by soaring and joyous emotional highs.
Perhaps only lottery winnings and escape from sudden death qualifies! 🙂
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You describe the combination of emotions perfectly Darlene. I have experienced that twice in my life and it was for the birth of my two girls.
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Like, an experience that I will never regret despite the trials and hard, hard work that goes into molding two good human beings. Their presence has allowed me to take paths in my life that I had never would have if they had not been born.
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I feel the same way. My life would have been completely different without them in my life.
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This is lovely, Colline. For me motherhood is the best thing in my life.
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Thank you Julie 🙂
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And what a great job you did indeed Colline! Your girls are so beautiful and they have the best mom ever. Great post hon. 😀
As for my experience : I am not good with words and all I can say is that I love being a mom and won’t change it for the world. My 2 boys are my life. 😀
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I think you would do best to speak with your camera Sonel. I am sure you have beautiful pictures of your boys 🙂
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I do have a few but just like me they’re camera shy and we don’t like lots of fuss. 😀
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My experience of motherhood did not include giving birth – a biological impossibility – but I was there, and then for three weeks, while actual mom was in hospital recovering from complications, I was mommy.substitute. Nappy changes, dreaded two a.m. feeds, bathing, getting rid of colic – how women can go through all the strain of giving birth and still do all of that is beyond me.
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I have come to believe it is our instinct. Sometimes I cannot believe that I went through that 🙂
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” Motherhood has not always been easy: interrupted nights, decisions to be taken, sacrifices to be made. But would I give it up? No, I would not…” we agree, Colline, our daughters are aged 40 now and it’s still pure fun to support their life – and watch how they are mothers…
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This is an aspect of motherhood I have given no thought to. It seems to be so far away 🙂
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Ahhh motherhood. I completely agree that it is not easy. Sleepless nights- not always while they are little ones!
Teenagers are a completely different kind of person. They are struggling to bridge the gap between childhood and adulthood, aren’t they? Hormones raging, new thoughts and feelings to wade through, new relationships with others and re-organization of the current relationships with family and friends. And this, while arriving at the understanding that the entire world will expect them to stand alone on their own two feet and fend for themselves financially and emotionally in a few short years.
Whenever I wonder where my new teen has come from, and as I lament the loss of my boy wondering who this new boy-man is, I try to remember when I too struggled through this very process.
Some days, I think I’m still not adult enough and I’m still struggling through it 🙂
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One can only hope that when his phase of discovery has passed, he will once again be like that young boy who enjoyed life and showed his love of it.
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Lovely writing. You are an example of a perfect mother! Thanks for sharing and enjoy your two daughters it is worth all the “hard” work
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Even today I am bearing the fruit of my hard work. My girls are polite, respectful, and give me lots of love 🙂
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Same here! My son is still the most wonderful “child” to me even to his partner. (he is 32 already and still respects me, and comes to me with questions)
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I love that. It is what I wish for with my children.
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It will be you’ll see! Makes you so proud when they are like that!
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My own mum always said “they bring their own love with them”, Colline. I have no reason to doubt it. 🙂
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What a beautiful expression. And so true.
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Thanks for sharing about your experiences with motherhood, Colline. I am not a mother but do enjoy hearing nice tales of family xo
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Thank you Christy. I was hoping not to bore dads and readers who have not had children.
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Thank you for sharing this with us, Colline… Wishing both of your girls a healthy and bright future!
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Thank you Paula. Health and a bright future is what I wish most for them.
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I never had the chance to because after a 12 hour labor for the first child without me dilating well enough, I went through an emergency CS and had a general anesthesia. I was loopy for several days after that. Because of the first CS, all others who followed were delivered by CS, too. The nearest experienced I had to water breaking was when my third child decided to come prematurely and broke the water bag. Needless to say, I went to an unscheduled CS that same night.
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I was lucky enough that I could experience natural birth. It is a blessing that caesareans can be performed to save the life of mommy and child.
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Miracle of life, and the immediate mother-baby connection starting at birth, always an inspiring thought.
My experience of motherhood is splendid! Bwahahaha 😆
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You are so funny Rommel! 🙂
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Pretty much non-existent, Colline, though I was blessed to be raised in a house with a wonderful Mother and 2 equally wonderful women. 🙂
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It is always good to learn that the children appreciate the love and care that were given to them by their mothers 🙂
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Mmmmm moootiful!
Liz
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Thank you Liz 🙂
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