Emily, think a hundred times before you sign any papers to give your baby up youll regret it later, trust me.
I cant just leave him, you have to understand, I just cant
Everyone at the maternity ward was fussing over the young mum. You could see she was struggling with the decision, and we all hoped we might sway her.
Dad raised me on a strict ladder, she told us. Hes always warned me never to have a child out of wedlock. He thinks Im still studying, building a career. Ive been away from home for six months because of the pregnancy, and Ive been lying.
Life throws all sorts of things at you, we said. Hell probably shout, scold, then eventually accept the little lad as his grandson its his bloodline after all.
No, you dont get it, she snapped. My fathers a hardliner If Mum were still alive, shed understand.
Emily broke down in tears. The babys father immediately declared he was washing his hands of it he didnt want the child. Emily believed his feelings were genuine, which made the hurt cut even deeper. She didnt go through with an abortion, and a healthy, chubby boy was born.
Her mother died when Emily was in Year6. She was on a work trip with colleagues and they were in a crash. Everyone survived except Emily. Her life split into before and after. Her father snapped, pouring all his bitterness about lifes unfairness onto her.
Emily, if you bring home a baby out of wedlock, Ill kick you out, he warned. Theres no shame in this family. Study hard, become a doctor, be respected.
Dad, what shame? Im still young, doing well in school, Im not trying to upset you, she replied.
She graduated with a gold medal, got into medical school just as her parents wanted, and would come home a few times a year. Dad would make his famous roast potatoes, ask about her studies, and always slip in that outofwedlock warning.
What he feared eventually happened. In her second year she met a lad at a dance class. She didnt even notice herself falling in love he was her first boyfriend. She imagined herself walking down the aisle in a wedding dress, dad beaming with pride at his beautiful, clever daughtertobe. But the boy left her, and her wedding dreams scattered like dandelion fluff.
The birth was easy, but it was hard for the new mum not to stare at the tiny bundle. She said shed write a declaration to give the baby up. When she saw that little, wrinkled face, her heart wavered. Shed carried him for nine months; could she now just hand him over?
Three other mums with their newborns were in the room. Emily turned her back to the wall to avoid watching them feed. She never fed her own, even though the nurses kept offering, hoping shed change her mind.
The declaration was signed. No amount of pleading moved her. She packed a bag in a rush and slipped out of the hospital with her paperwork. The midwives and nurses watched sadly as they called the baby Harry.
Little one, youre all alone now. Who knows what fate has in store? Probably youll end up in a good family; these babies get taken in quickly.
Harry fell silent, his tiny nose twitching. Nurse Margaret gently cooed and fed the abandoned baby. She remembered almost every child that had been given up.
Sometimes, a mother would come back, but it was rare. That night Harry, as if sensing the abandonment, wailed loudly, refusing the bottle. Margaret barely slept, watching him drift in and out of sleep, taking a few spoonfuls of formula, then crying again. By morning he was quieter, listless.
Ah, child, youre calling for a mother who isnt there, Margaret sighed.
During a ward round, Emily burst in.
Wheres he? Has he been handed over yet? I want him back!
Emily, youre back? Thank heavens! Harrys still with us, papers not transferred yet. Are you sure about this? Its not a toy.
No, Im certain! Hes my son how could I have left him?
She broke down, sobbing.
I havent slept a wink, hearing his cries… My heart nearly tore apart. My little boy alone, no mum Let me feed him, the milks on the way.
They moved her to a private room, brought Harry over. She cradled him, and he started squealing. The staff at the door smiled, genuinely happy. He wasnt a discarded child any more; he was with his mum.
I told my dad everything that Id given birth and left the baby because of him. I said I cant live without my child and want him back. He was shocked at first, then said he wanted to see his grandson, called me a fool, not a mother, scolded me for never telling him.
Id spent my whole life hearing Dont have a baby out of wedlock! and now I didnt recognise my own father. He even teared up with joy. So Ill take my son home, introduce him to Granddad, give him a proper name and surname.
The whole ward watched the fragile figure of mother and child depart through the window. God bless them, they whispered.
How often do parents scare girls from childhood with lines like, If you bring a baby home out of wedlock, well throw you out!? How many young women have had abortions or given up newborns because of those words? How many shattered lives have resulted? Moral lessons matter, but girls also need to know their parents love them and will accept them, no matter what single, pregnant, out of wedlock or not.
Be loved, be happy.
