Hey! You Got Eyeballs In There?<\/p>\n
By Kate Chamberlin<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
As Grace grows up, some of her stories are happy, some trying, some enlightening, and a few themes are sad, but, they\u2019re all the warp and woof of what goes into the tapestry of life we call Family. The daily living skills and techniques demonstrated by the fictional characters in these stories are valid, tried and true.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
#33. The Wedding<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s no way you can take your new-born home from the hospital,\u201d the large, greying Social Worker in the delivery suite told Grace.<\/p>\n
Grace couldn\u2019t believe her ears. Didn\u2019t the records show that during her pregnancy, she and her sighted husband, Ken, had taken parenting classes, natural childbirth classes, toured the hospital, and been well prepared for the birth of their first baby, William?<\/p>\n
\u201cI had baby-sat nieces and nephews without a problem, Grace said around the brick in her throat, trying to stay calm despite the tears stinging her eyes. \u201cMy Mother and I have had many conversations about childcare. I am healthy. My baby is healthy. Why, on earth, can\u2019t I take my baby home?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWell, you\u2019re blind. You can\u2019t see if the baby has a nose bleed,\u201d the SW said in her hoity-toity voice, wielding her clip board like a shield. \u201cHow would you ever know if he has a diaper rash or Thrush? How could you ever measure and mix the baby\u2019s formula and pour it into the bottle?\u201d<\/p>\n
The petite delivery nurse, who spoke softly with a Texas drawl, \u00a0brought William to Grace and waited until he latched on properly to her breast for lunch.<\/p>\n
\u201cHere\u2019s the answer to how I can feed my baby,\u201d Grace said fondling his fuzzy, perfect little round head, feeling the healthy pulse of his fontanel.<\/p>\n
The SW sniffed and huffed out of the room, holding her clipboard against her ample chest. Grace knew that although she\u2019d won that skirmish, there would be more to come in the war.<\/p>\n
\u201cKen,\u00a0 they won\u2019t let us bring William home,\u201d Grace groaned when he came in that evening. \u201cBefore now, I\u2019ve never felt like ripping off someone\u2019s face!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGrace,\u201d he said\u00a0 kissing her tear stained cheeks and her trembling lips. He knew that she would not want him to fight her battle, so he said, \u201cyou\u2019re a teacher. This may be the most important lesson you\u2019ll ever teach\u201d<\/p>\n
The next morning, the SW came back to grill Grace on how she would take care of an infant.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow will you change the baby\u2019s diaper?\u201d she asked, so, Grace went over to the maternity suite\u2019s bassinet where William was waking up.<\/p>\n
\u201cI learned from changing my nephew\u2019s diapers that you always keep everything covered,\u201d Grace said as she demonstrated her technique.\u00a0 \u201cThen, with a moist baby wipe, I make a “Y” patterned swipe to make sure whatever smells so bad gets cleaned off. I have the clean, disposable\u00a0 diaper open and ready to “lift butt, insert diaper and tab shut” in one fell swoop.\u00a0 The lidded pail for dirty diapers is next to the bassinet and all my supplies are within my easy reach, but out of William\u2019s little hands.\u201d<\/p>\n
Grace then wrapped William in a soft receiving blanket by lying him on it with his head on the top corner, bringing up the bottom corner to cover his legs; crossing the right corner over his body, snuggling his arms underneath it; bringing the left corner over the right; and snugging the Bottom corner over both the right and left edges. Grace picked William up, neatly bundled into his blanket, being careful to support his head with her hand.<\/p>\n
As Grace nursed her sweet William, the SW asked, \u201cHow will you give the baby a bath?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201c Our shower head is on a six-foot hose. I\u2019ll put the shower head on the floor of the tub,\u201d Grace said. \u201cThen place a hand towel on the bottom and wet it with warm water – keeping the shower running. After William is stripped lying on a dry towel on the floor next to the tub, I\u2019ll lift him into the tub and lay him face up on the warm towel. This leaves one hand to hold the shower head and one hand to roam around his body to guide the water stream. My nephew loved the gently tickling of the warm shower before and after I lathered him with a sponge loaded with gentle body wash lotion.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen we’re finished, I\u2019ll open the dry towel and hold it under each of my arms across my chest; lift William up and place him against me; bring the other end of the towel around him, and, voila, one baby washed and wrapped in a warm towel ready to be dried and dressed.\u201d<\/p>\n
The SW wrote something down on her clipboard as Grace moved William to her shoulder to pat his back. William produced a gentlemanly burp and Grace laid him on his side in the bassinet. With his dry diaper, full belly, and a warm bed, William went right to sleep without a fuss.<\/p>\n
The petite training nurse put her hand on Grace\u2019s shoulder and said, \u201cYou did really well. Don\u2019t you just love the baby powder scent of a new-born?\u201d But, the SW didn\u2019t say a word as she huffed out of the room.<\/p>\n
When Ken came to visit Grace and William that evening, Grace said, \u201cI don\u2019t think the SW was impressed this morning.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ken kissed her and said,\u201dYou\u2019re a great teacher. You\u2019ll win her over yet.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
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