Motherhood

Special Deliver-weave!!

(This is what it sounds like when doves cry)

I’ve had 4 pregnancies in 6 years and every one of them has been unique. I’ve had preeclampsia, a placenta previa, a fetus suspected/diagnosed as having Down’s Syndrome, and one regular term birth with no issues.  In every instance, my hair has summed up the story of each pregnancy.

I had preeclampsia with my first born. ‘Preemclampsia’ is just a fancy medical term for ‘high blood pressure’, in case you were wondering. The antics of my first child’s biological father sent me into such a tail-spin that by week 32 of carrying the child, I was barely able to get through the day without popping 8 Tylenol by dinner. It was a terrible time, with days categorized by uncertainty and fear; and on the day I had an emergency C-Section to save both my and my daughter’s life, I indeed looked terrible. I call this look Dramatic & Traumatic.

My daughter’s conception and birth were unplanned and unexpected. As such, I did not make the time to get my hair done in anticipation of her arrival. The whole affair was flown by the seat of my pants, and you can see the ‘dramatic’ results in the picture above. Coincidentally, my first born is a true pure bred drama queen.

My second pregnancy was an absolute breeze – classic text book. It was predictable and pleasant, as is my next child. I made sure that my hair was cornrowed in a practical and easily maintainable style. There were no surprises and again, the hair tells the story. My little Ayako is a predictable and dependable child, just like that set of cornrows. Again, the child modeled the hair. Could this be a trend? Hmmm…

My son was the one with whom I had the previa. He refused to be detached from my uterus, and my OB had to dive in and cut his placenta off my muscle walls. For his delivery, I had chosen to get my natural hair pressed so that he might run his tiny little newborn hands through it if he so wished. It’s only natural that little boys want to be as close to their mommas as possible (especially those raised in the South), so again the hair fit the child. And make no mistake – my son is embedded in my very hip! This straight press (or what was left of the straightness after an hour in delivery) is called…drum roll…It’s Only Natural!

And finally, finally, we come to my little Liya, born just this past Thursday. Liya was named after Liya Kebede, the model and Goodwill Ambassador. She is also the child that my practice’s geneticist declared to have Down’s Syndrome,  measuring way smaller than her peers in utero, and could never get an accurate read on her age during gestation. As our son was meant to be our last child, her conception came as something as a surprise. (It’s been suggested we read the book Where Do Babies Come From?) Yes – yes this child was special, and for her grand entrance into the world, I too had to herald her with a special hairstyle. So I went out and spent 6 hours in a chair to get a weave, now affectionately termed as my Deliver-Weave. I went full glam for my last girl!  I even sprung for human hair, and for anyone who knows me, that’s generally out of the question: I do synthetic because I AM CHEAP.

What type of personality this child will have, I do not know. I’ve only known her outside of the womb for 3 days. But if she follows the trend set by her siblings and her alloted, distinct hair style, she’ll be a woman of class, refinement, beauty and surprises. In other words, the antithesis of her mom.

Welcome to the world Liya!

And P.S.: The docs were all wrong. She is a healthy 6 lbs baby with a perfect set of long legs and almond shaped eyes. Medical technology really bites sometimes.