In 1968, hospitals had just started the practice of babies being taken care of by the mother, rather than being in a nursery all day. The nurses gave mini classes on how to bathe and change this tiny human that we suddenly had become totally responsible for. Hospital stays averaged a week and no baby left until it had reached a certain weight, and the cost was less than $300!
I remember holding my son, touching his soft cheek trying to absorb the fact that he was mine; it seemed a bit overwhelming and praying that I would be a good mom was a regular occurrence.
Total reality, however, didn’t hit until we brought our bundle of joy home. Oh my! What a set of lungs! Thank heavens for my own Mom who was my one woman support group. My son would cry, I’d rock him, sing to him, feed him, walk the floor for hours with him and he would still cry…my Mother would take him from me and he’d stop instantly. I swear that baby had an on and off switch!
Wow, that was so many years ago…and it’s been a long road with its share of sunshine and potholes, even a mountain now and then. This gray hair had to come from somewhere!
Someone once said, “Son, you outgrew my lap, but never my heart!”
16 comments:
Happy birthday to your son and congratulations to you. I remember how scary it seemed when we had our first-born home with just us 40 years ago. I don't think I would like to relive that feeling again.
Happy Birthday to your son, Sunny. My first-born was born in 1963 ---and I had no family close-by. Only with the help of Dr. Spock did I make it through that first year. As the old saying goes (from Gone with the Wind): "i didn't know nothin' about birthing a baby." ha ha... Somehow he made it--and so did I.
Hugs,
Betsy
What a wonderful birthday tribute!
xoxo
Beth
Happy Birthday to your son.
Those days you just never forget. Amazing how long ago can seem just like yesterday. :-)
What a sweet remembrance....He needed to be swaddled...to bad we didn't have that back then....so we rocked and walked/ha
Happy Birthday to your Son!!!
Awww, that is so sweet... I love this post, Sunny.
I too have a son born in 1968, just two days before Christmas.
Happy Birthday to Sunny's sonny!
Blessings!
That is a lovely story, and I bet your son came out a very good person too :o)
Happy birthday for your son and of course congratulations to you as well (Dutch habit: congratulate anybody who has anything to do with the birthday-person).
Happy birthday to your son, and a continued great memory for you. Congrats.
How very dear that is! And, what a good Mum you have been; now friend!
Beautiful post! It brings back memories of when my daughter and son were born. It's funny because my daughter never appreciated me so much as when she became a mother herself. Suddenly I was an expert on everything in her eyes!
Happy Birthday to your son.
Too bad they don't keep new mothers longer today instead of shoving them out the door sore and scared. A week was a nice gentle introduction to mother hood.
I adore that saying at the end.
Happy Birthday to the boy/man. How time flies but the memory sticks with us. You have written a lovely tribute to his birth.
My son's birthday was yesterday. He was 49....can you believe? I remember his birth well as it was a very sad time for me. I was only 18 and unmarried. Unmarried mothers were a blight on society then. So I had to give him up for adoption.
I cried for many years after that.30 years later when the adoption laws were changed he made contact with me which is a whole new story.
Happy birthday to the 'kid'! You reminded me of one of the scariest moment of my life: we, first time at home alone with the kid! I had never been so happy to see my mother-in-law when she came...
Bonjour Sunny,
I am sure when I visit your blog to read something interesting and something that make me smile. It is good to start a day with a smile. Thank you.
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