MP Story by Tracy Gruen (Deerfield, IL)

Stay-at-Home Mom * Mother of One

I read all the baby books. I watched TLC’s Baby Story over and over. I talked with my friends who were already moms. But it was really true; what they said. Nothing prepares you for being a mom and the worries that go along with it. Before I was discharged from the hospital a nurse came in to take my beautiful little girl away to perform a hearing test on her. When she came back 20 minutes later I could tell by the look on her face the results of the test were far from good. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. The nurse said she failed the hearing test twice. How could this be? What does this mean? Does it mean she can’t hear at all? I took one look at my daughter and tears started pouring down my face. I immediately thought the worst and felt a rush of fear, pain and sadness. I had always pictured my husband rolling me out of the hospital with a huge smile on my face carrying my daughter. But instead, I was holding her and tears were pouring down. This was not what it was supposed to be like. The first week home with my daughter was very rough. I tried not to worry. I tried to have faith. I tried to enjoy being home with my baby but I kept on thinking about her failed test. Two days later she failed the hearing test again in the pediatricians office. They said they woud retest her in a week and may just have some fluid in her ear. That possibility is not what kept me going. What kept me going is mommy power. Mommy power gave me the inner strength to have faith in my daughter and taught me from the start that being a mom meant that life was now unpredictable and full of worries but also much more rewarding and joyous than it ever was before. Sure enough, a week later she passed her hearing test. It is mommy power that got me through that rough patch. It is mommy power that helps me believe.