17 February 2007

Revisionism

Last week, I joined four other women and their babies (one is still in utero) as show-and-tell for a Human Growth and Development class at Centenary. We began by telling a little about ourselves . . . pregnancy, birth, and post-birth. Since I was last and the other women had already introduced the subjects of natural childbirth and breastfeeding, I quickly told my labor story and then improvised some comments about how amazed and pleased I was at the automatic and powerfully natural love I felt for Noel immediately upon his birth.

The comments went something like this: "I was never a baby person before, never babysat, never had those oogly eyes some women especially just have for babies. Of course, I was excited that our baby was on the way, but I still didn't feel any particular bonding with Noel while he was in the womb. But when Noel appeared in the world, I felt a complete love for him that I cannot explain except that this is how God makes mothers."

But that's not what the class heard.

I saw the professor the other day, and she said that the written reports the students submitted after our visit expressed much concern for baby Noel. They heard the first clause: "I was never a baby person before," at which point I noticed a collective dropping of heads, each student writing that down in the class notes. But they quit listening at that point and apparently presumed I meant, "I was never a baby person before, and I'm still not, and I'm thinking of leaving Noel out in the snow to fend for himself."

Good thing we don't have snow around here. Good night, Irene.

8 comments:

Lin said...

Don't worry, if CPS comes knockin'...I'll vouch for ya!

Jen said...

Phew! Thanks.

Anonymous said...

It's nice to see that others are getting to experience the emotionless ice-cube we've known for all these years.

Shannon said...

That's truly funny. College kids can be so goofy! I wonder if the natural childbirth speech scared them all away from ever having kids at all. And who knows what they took away from the speech about nursing...

I say you use it to your advantage, though. Have them take up a collection so that you can take "parenting classes," and then you go buy yourself some new books, or shoes, or whatever.

Lauren said...

you have got to be kidding me. c'mon people.

well, i for one can relate. i did not have the magical bonding experience while my children were in utero. but as soon as i saw them for the first time and held them...WOW. instinct kicks in instantly...it's amazing :)

Bulky Britches is soooo cute, btw. did i hear him doing a little "snorting" number last night during the prayer? hehe :)

M.R. said...

Surely if they had seen you giving birth (way-too naturally) they would have been even more freaked out. You naked and screaming while squatting in a giant wash basin. Micah also, quite inexplicably, naked and angry, crouching in the corner. It's just too much.

Jen said...

You must have us confused with John and Elba.

Jen said...

And yes, Lauren, that was our own Bulky--of course! The noisiest kid ever. Sunday night he was particularly grunty. Gosh, we love it :)

Shannon--shockingly, they didn't ask any questions about natural childbirth or nursing. Maybe they were too much in shock at all that being mentioned, though, that they didn't want to ask. . . .