Birth Parent Stories - Dana

I am a birth mother, and during the first part of my pregnancy, I had believed that I was going to be a mom to a baby boy. This turned out not to be the case. Four and a half months into my pregnancy, I found out that I was going to have a baby girl, whom I named Tyrah Rose a week after her birth. It took me a while to decide on a name that I believed would suit her.

Although my pregnancy went well for the most part, there were some things that I could have done without. For beginners, I can't stand needles and getting my blood taken. And those nasty vitamins that I had to take! How I hate those nasty vitamins. Also, the back part of my eyes swelled. My doctors told me that this was common among pregnant women, but I don't think that my case was common because I had to stay at the hospital for a week because of it. My doctors gave me medication for my eyes and stressed the medication's importance. Apparently, I could have gone blind if I hadn't taken them regularly. 

I could have done without the C-section, and both Tyrah and I could have done without her post-birth complications as well. The C-section put me in a lot of pain, but it was necessary because Tyrah's heart beat kept dropping during the delivery. My daughter's medical situation didn't improve right away after the delivery either. She stayed in the hospital because her doctors noticed that she wasn't eating very well. They took x-rays and discovered that her intestines were twisted. So, Tyrah had to undergo an operation to untwist the intestines, not even a week after her birth. 

Tyrah is better now, and she has a wonderful adoptive family. Initially, I thought that it was going to be hard to place my daughter for adoption. I genuinely felt depressed; I felt as though I was losing a person who was very important to me and whom I had shared so much with. But, I am now pleased and happy because Tyrah is still a big part of my life and she lives with a family that takes such good care of her. I love them for that and I always will! 

Well, that is my story about being a mother for the very first time. It is an experience that I will never forget; it is a story that I will continue to live.