Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Interrupted showers...

Most often, I shower with one or all three of our girls. Some days, it's the only way I can ensure a shower and to be honest, it's just easier - I know where they are, especially Clara. Tonight I wasn't feeling so hot - sore throat, stiff neck, head ache, and since Mairead had school this morning, I didn't shower. After dinner, I headed upstairs for what I thought was going to be a solo, quiet shower.

I washed my hair. In peace.
I conditioned my hair. In peace.
I washed up. In peace.
I shaved without bumping or tripping over multiple little bodies fighting for a spot under the water.

As I stood there enjoying the peace and quiet, thinking of how nice it was to take a shower alone, I hear the pitter patter of little feet. I look around the corner and breathe a sigh of relief.

Ah, the door is shut. At least one little munchkin I knew couldn't come in.

Then, all of a sudden, a little body evades my shower. "Hi Mommy!" says Mairead.

Then, a second little naked body. There's little Clara.

Then Lilah, what a lucky mamma with all three of her girls in the shower with me. Joy!

Just as I was ready to get out, Mairead started asking questions about babies and birth.

Uh oh. You see, Mairead is quite intelligent, and doesn't miss a thing. I don't hide too much about pregnancy and childbirth. She comes to a lot of my prenatal appointments, so is very used to this whole pregnancy thing.

She starts to bombard me with questions like....... "what happens if the baby is too big and the doctor can't get the baby out?".............and "do you bleed a lot when you have a baby"............. "does the doctor put band-aids on the places you bleed?".............."do you have to stay in bed?"

I answer her truthfully, yet appropriately. I tell her the doctors aren't usually the ones who get the babies out. The mommies are the ones who do it, and the doctors sometimes help - our bodies are made to have babies when we get older like mommy. I also mentioned some babies cannot come out of their mothers bottoms (sometimes they are too big for their mommies or sometimes the baby is sick or not head down) and doctors have to do a c-section. I gave very basic, limited details. A small cut in the mothers belly (showed her where) and the doctor can get the baby. She was happy with that explanation. And amazed me later on with the comprehension of the conversation.

She was worried about the pain while having a baby. I told her that some people, like mommy, have babies without medicine for the pain because they have babies very fast, but some people can get medicine so they don't feel anything at all. And that when mommies bleed after having a baby is normal and it isn't a lot of blood - okay, maybe a little bit of a white lie, but she didn't need to know that there can be a lot of blood and goop.

My little girl asking these big girl questions. Wow. I never want her to feel funny or afraid to talk to me about this sort of stuff, I hope this sort of paves the way for when we have to have the "big girl" talks down the road, and please....oh please, let it be really, really far down the road!

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