ESSAY CONTEST RUNNER-UP
"A Most Cherished Moment of Discovery"
by Maureen Murov
When I was pregnant with my first baby my husband and I decided to disregard what ultrasound could tell us and wait until baby’s birth to discover what we were having. One of our friends assured us that this was one of the most climactic surprises in life and that she and her husband were glad they had decided to keep this mystery alive until the very moment their babies emerged. We wanted to experience such a surprise for ourselves, so we waited.
In truth, though, there was another reason I did not want to confirm baby’s gender. I sensed I would love my baby with all my heart no matter what and when I held baby in my arms there would be no disappointment whatsoever, but I also had a very strong preference for a girl! I did not want to know—or take the time to imagine—what I was having because I did not want to spend months worried about never having a daughter or, more precisely, about how I would manage a rambunctious, impulsive boy who would probably never share my love of ballet or doll collecting.
As my pregnancy progressed, however, everyone would ask if I knew what I was having. No, I would say, I wanted to be surprised. At this point in the conversation, almost without fail, the other person would announce to me the sex of my unborn baby. Had I not just said I wanted to be surprised? With few exceptions suddenly clairvoyant friends, relatives, and check-out line strangers all told me it was a boy. Being extremely intuitive, some, including my husband, could just sense that male energy emanating from my belly. For others, I was carrying low, which surely meant boy! Before long, I was completely convinced. I bought nothing pink at all and tried to make mental lists of all I could love in a boy.
One summer morning before dawn the moment finally arrived. After pushing what felt like every organ out of my body for what felt like hours but was, in fact, only 20 minutes, baby literally flew out. My doctor caught our tiny miracle, and, with some momentum, dropped the little bundle on my chest, quickly exclaiming, "Here’s your daughter!"
Daughter? It is hard to describe my simultaneous shock and elation. I got what I wished for, and I could not stop smiling triumphantly—not even while my doctor stitched me up for way longer than it took me to push (but that’s another story). To this day I still grin joyfully when I recall the clever fax my husband sent to the folks at his office: "Contrary to popular belief, it’s a GIRL."
PS—Just two years later fewer people were guessing what I was having. In the end I had a baby boy. He too was an awesome miracle—and much to my delight (and surprise), he is calmer and definitely more easy-going than his big sister. Oh, well!
OTHER RUNNERS-UP
Michelle Collins Anderson
Catherine Anderson
Kirsten Brunner
Judy Nugent
Kathleen Peters
Suzanne Scanlon
Back to Grand Prize Winner
