Love at First Sight

Love at First Sight I had never thought about what it would feel like to carry another life inside of my own body. As I was growing up, I heard story after story about my own mother’s five exhausting pregnancies and gruesome deliveries- one of which was to twins. I would always say, “That’s never going to happen to me because I’m not having kids!” Yet, here I am today sporting a fifty-two inch waistline and ankles the size of softballs, anxiously getting ready to have my first child. With a giant baby bag packed full of newborn-size diapers, wipes, and miniature clothing in hand, my husband and I head to the hospital in hopes of meeting our new baby. Stark white walls line the hallways of the hospital with cold, silver handrails protruding from them. The very distinct-smelling hospital air burns through my nostrils as soon as we pass through those eerily quiet automatic doors. Neither my husband nor I have ever been fond of hospitals, so the prospect of spending the night here does not appeal to any one of our senses. I cringe under a newly formed wall of goose bumps on my skin as we make our way to the delivery room after checking in at the nurses' station. Once inside, I make my way to the bathroom to change into an oh-so-fashionable blue hospital gown and settle into an oh-so-comfortable bed. Juni tries to make himself at home in the seat next to me while we wait for a nurse to come prepare me for my induction.
After a few minutes of sitting in silence, I hear the door open slowly and creak along the way. I look up to find the nurse with a needle in hand, getting ready to start my IV. The needle stares me in the face while I brace myself for contact. My heart starts pumping a little faster, and my adrenaline spikes a bit as if I am getting ready to run a marathon. Juni turns away because he cannot stand the sight of me in pain. Surprisingly, it is not as bad as I had expected it to be, so we are both relieved. My contractions have not