Three months ago today, I got to hold my son for the first time. He was three days old. We didn't get to hold him or touch him very much after he was born because he was easily agitated, and disturbing him while he was working so hard to stay alive tended to make his numbers go down.
When it was clear that he wouldn't be with us for much longer, the NICU nurse told me she thought I should hold him, and carefully wrapped him in a blanket and draped his tubes over my lap as she handed him to me. I instantly began to weep, both for the joy of holding my baby for the first time, and for the sadness of knowing that he was going to die.
I tried to be strong for Julian, as he had been for us. He had made it through labor and had survived for three days so we could get to know him before we had to say goodbye. I told him I loved him, and I thanked him for the time he had given to me, to us. I told him that it was okay for him to stop fighting for us and that we would be okay. His daddy told him to go to sleep.
Moments later, I could see on the monitor to my right that his heart rate was beginning to decline more rapidly, from triple to double digits. As he was dying, he had a period of becoming very alert. He opened his eyes and looked up at us. I am certain he wanted to let us know that he had heard us and that we had done right by him. He left us at 10:50am.
Julian, our sweet, beautiful little boy, mommy and daddy will always love and miss you terribly. Perhaps "this world was never meant for one as beautiful as you."
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1 comment:
this song by dan mclean is a very beautiful song. thank you for sharing this. it makes one treasure what one has in the now and here.
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