I am a medical worker by education. In 1990, I worked in a maternity hospital in the neonatal department in a dubious department.
She left there and went on maternity leave. My pregnancy was going well. All examinations proved that the child was healthy and my husband and I were waiting for our baby. We have prepared everything for her birth. Relatives were also waiting for a replenishment in our family and were constantly interested:
— Is everything okay with the baby?
My father-in-law was most interested and boasted that he had already bought a gift for his future granddaughter.
I didn’t even know then that after giving birth, everyone would change their attitude towards us because of the changes in our family. In general, my due date has come. A girl was born weight: 2 kg 900 grams, height: 45 cm.
As it should be, after giving birth, they showed me the baby and took away her primary sanitation. When everyone finished, the nurse brought the baby for the first feeding.
She had a weak sucking reflex, but I managed to feed her. We were transferred to the postpartum ward. Then an hour later, the doctor on duty who delivered me entered my room. She had a pediatrician with her who examined my baby after birth. They both looked mysterious and it seemed to me that they were not telling me something. The baby and I were alone in the ward. Later I heard from them what I didn’t expect to hear. One of them tells me:
— Antonina, your baby was born with Down syndrome. You are a medical worker and you should understand that this is for life. We suggest you write a waiver. You are young and you will have more children.
After such a statement, something inside me shrank, I felt that I would not be able to part with the baby. Tears rolled from her eyes like a stream, and her throat tightened that she barely uttered:
— You Olga Viktorovna forgive me, I will consult with my husband, and later I will tell you our decision. But I’m sure he won’t agree to a refusal.
-Antonina, you rest and gain strength, and as soon as you decide with your husband about the refusal, come to my office for paperwork. After the doctors left, the baby began to act up, she obviously felt my feelings and also did not want to part with me.
Everything inside me told me that I couldn’t live without her for even a minute. I prayed that my husband would agree to leave the baby and raise her the way she was born.
Later I called my husband and asked him to come. An hour later, he and I were in the doctor’s office. My husband was also offered to write a refusal.
The baby was unwrapped, I saw my husband’s eyes filled with tears. He thought for a while and said his decision:
— We won’t write anything, the baby should live with us. Olga Viktorovna accepted and appreciated our decision. I saw my husband off and was grateful to him for not betraying her. My husband and I decided to name the baby Zlata. It was her name that suited her best.Three days before discharge, a woman was moved into the next ward. She’s in her fifth pregnancy and well into her thirties.
As it turned out later, her pregnancy was not planned and she wanted to get rid of the baby from the first day of pregnancy. And when she found out that her baby was born with Down syndrome, she did not hesitate to abandon her. The baby was not brought to her to feed and her cry was constantly heard from the children’s ward. One of the nurses asked her to milk her mommy for her baby, so she said:
— I won’t give her a drop of my milk to draw me to her!
After hearing what I heard, I left the ward and offered the nurse to breastfeed the girl. She approved and brought me a baby to feed.
After our acquaintance with the girl, I could not part. In appearance, the baby seemed to me absolutely healthy.
I called my husband and shared everything. My husband suggested that I take the baby to us so that our girl would have more fun. I didn’t force adoption on my husband, he offered it to me and I was happy that everything turned out that way.
After talking with my husband, I went to the doctor’s office, then offered to register a rejected girl for my husband and me.
Of course, no one considered me crazy, but even on the contrary, I was doubly called:
You are our heroine!
Zlata and I had to stay for a couple of days. We waited until our adopted baby’s umbilical cord fell off.
Being discharged from the maternity hospital was the happiest day of my life. My husband and I were the parents of two little babies who came home to mom and dad. And not to the hospital, where there is no parental love and care.We were escorted by the entire medical staff of the maternity ward. It was very nice to hear congratulations and feel like the parents of two babies.
Don’t expect help from us, you have hung this bondage on yourself, so pull it without us. They didn’t approve of our choice. I do not dispute that I had enough trouble with Zlata and Veronica. But when they grew up, they became beautiful, intelligent and funny twins.
It was then that our grandparents got emotional and changed their anger to mercy. We did not hold grudges against our parents, we allowed them to be with us and communicate with the girls. And sometimes the girls and I went to visit them. The girls were not left unattended anywhere. At the age of six, they knew the entire alphabet and tried to read on their own. There were no special problems with health. All abilities were manifested in their time.
The only thing is that we had to move to the city closer to the school for sunny children. I don’t know how the girls will develop further? But, for now, they are cute and love each other. They feel good together.After reading this story for the first time, I could hardly restrain myself from tears, I appreciated the heroine’s act. Please write your feedback in the comments and share stories with a similar situation.
