So Hard to Wait; So Easy to Love

I absolutely love this. I’m unable to have children of my own, and this description is so beautiful; I could feel your baby in your arms with you the first time you held little Jade!

This is a brilliant idea, to write this down for a future time. I even like the fact that you have no qualms describing the doctor’s discomfort at being wrong. 😉

Keep it up! I can’t wait to read more.

Hi Dawn,

Thank you for this piece. It’s nice to read another mother’s experience and that I’m not alone in experiencing the uncertainties and pains of childbirth.

I too had to go through a C-section—one for my eldest and another for my third child (he was born just last May 24). And like you, they had to operate on me because the baby was too big to push out normally. This, I believe, is the beauty of stories like these. They allow us to connect people who we may never have met but who share the same experiences. 🙂

My suggestion to make this piece better is to add a bit more structure to the story so it flows naturally. There are times when I have to take a step back and re-read to keep track of what’s happening. I know how difficult it can be to press all the meaningful events into one sitting, but this will definitely make the reading experience even more enjoyable for the reader.

Dear Dawn,

Thank you. I laughed in certain places and ended up very touched by the quiet beauty of this piece. I know the events weren’t quiet, but the tone of the piece is beautifully gentle. There is so much love in it.

Small details, like the baby being so small he/she wouldn’t fill it up, so you were frightened to drive, made it very tangible… making me able to experience some of what you must have felt. I appreciate those details.

I imagine it will mean a lot to the child when they grow up to have this.

My only suggestions would be to omit meaningless qualifiers like “so” (the nurses we “so” nice) and “pretty’ (Dr. thought you were going to be pretty big). There aren’t many of them.

Thank you for this intimate glimpse of such a momentous time in your life.

Dawn – first of all, great great title. I think it captures the moment and feelings so well. A few days ago my one of my nieces celebrated her very first birthday. When everyone was together at Christmas time my sister gave each of us a small scrapbook and asked us all to record certain poignant moments for Lucy, take pictures, even share personal thoughts within the pages. She said that these books were to be a record for my niece so that when she gets older, we can give them to her as a way of describing a part of her life that she will most likely never remember. My sister called it a “Baby Capsule” – a time capsule for your child that you keep until it’s time to be opened somewhere in the future.

This story is part of your “Baby Capsule”. It’s a point in time you have written about so that in future days you can re-share it with your son. I think that’s great.

This story is easily relatable. The care and feeling really stands out. Very moving.

If there was one thing that I think for me would improve this story is that there are places where is seems more telly than showy. Believe me I suffer from this problem as well – especially with personal stories. I can tell you too must do a great deal of technical writing. It is efficient, but sometimes difficult to get the reader to engage.

I have to write computer summation reports constantly -and I find that it can take days to break out of that mentality and let the storyteller come back through. This is a great story – don’t be afraid to let the storyteller come through.

I very much enjoyed this glimpse into your family. It’s easy to make a connection and I thank you for sharing it.

Sincerely,

James Schmidt (J.L.S.)