"I AM" READY

In the weeks leading up to the birth of my second child I crafted a huge list of things that we needed to do to be ready for another child to enter our world. Every time I ticked something off, another two things got added. 

3 weeks before the Due date of our baby, and list deadline, Mia went into labour. We were about to go to the farmers market for the morning when she entered the trance like state of birth. 

We were both completely caught off guard, we didn’t feel ready at all. 

I hadn’t done any of the really important things on that list. Like all lists of mine, the easy, not important things got done first. 

No birth pool, no birth bag, no birth plan, no nappies and no food in the house.

A few hours later he was in my hands under the water in our family bath, which is about 1/3 of the size of a birth pool and an extremely awkward shape to deliver a baby in. Mia was in our bed with our healthy baby boy on her bare chest when the midwife team arrived at our house. He wasn’t waiting for anyone! 3 weeks earlier than expected and 30 minutes before the birth team. 

The next day, which was my birthday, I woke up and walked to our fridge. There front and centre was my enormous list titled “Pre Baby List” I plucked it down and threw it in the bin. What a great gift! 

The lesson Mia and I learnt from all this was; Being “ready” is a state of mind not a completed list.  

My baby boy gave me 3 weeks worth of time for my birthday. He saved me from doing all those things, that as it turned out, weren’t important at all. He offered me a holiday from my frantic planning for the future and transported me to the present moment and while everyone else forgot about my birthday that year, ill never forget it. 

Be ready NOW and everything else will fall in place.