Tuesday Blog Hop = Encouragement

Today I am participating in the Tuesday Blog Hop. The theme is "encouragement". In keeping with this theme, and the theme of this blog I will be writing about a time when I spent much time giving "encouragement" to my daughter.

Once my daughter and her husband decided to start a family, they had a difficult time conceiving. It took over a year of trying, plus 3 months of fertility drugs before she became pregnant. I consoled her each month when she was disappointed and encouraged her to keep trying. The conception was merely the beginning of a very complicated and stressful 9 months, for all of us.

I don't think that Brandy and I have ever been closer than we were during those nine months. She ended up having to give up her job, be on bedrest for almost the entire pregnancy, be hospitalized at 23 weeks for possible miscarriage, and she and her husband had to move in with me and my husband for 2 months after the hospitalization when she was put on strict bedrest. I tried my best to help in any way that I could-- from helping Brandy juggle the bills to rolling her around in Wal-mart in a wheelchair so she could go shopping occasionally. We talked, laughed, cried and spent a lot of time together.

After all of that, 2 weeks before the due date, Brandy was sent from the doctor's office to the hospital for an emergency c-section, which was canceled at the last minute because the baby's heartrate improved. When the doctor (who was in charge at the time) canceled the c-section and planned to send Brandy home, it was I who told him I would "personally hold him responsible if anything should happen to that baby or my daughter". My remark got Brandy admitted to the hospital for an "extended observation" of 5 days until her regular doctor returned from out of town and did the c-section.{the cord was wrapped around the neck causing the rise and drop of heartrate} I spent those 5 days and nights along with Brandy and her husband giving whatever comfort and encouragement I could offer to them. The nurses would only let us have one recliner chair so I made my bed on the floor each night.

I'll never forget those nine long months, but they were so worth everything that we all endured...God blessed us with a seven pound, very healthy baby girl, Madison Elizabeth. Madison is so wonderful that this "MiMi" would gladly go through the whole experience again if I had to! ***The photo was taken of Brandy and Madison on Halloween, Madison is 1 week old.

Click here to enter your link in the blog hop and view the entire list of entered links...