May 6, 2014
By Dr. Susan Leong-Kee
One year ago, I was on my Labor and Delivery weekend call for 24 hours at the Pavilion for Women working with new moms on Mother’s Day and thought to myself, a year from now, I will be celebrating with two new babies! What a wild and crazy ride this year has been so far!
Although I have had the privilege of caring for so many mothers as an Ob/GYN during one of the most special moments of their lives, no one can ever truly prepare you for motherhood. I know I am very early in this new role of the past eight months, but I already see how Mother’s Day is not only a celebration of love but ultimate survival. I’ve quickly learned that motherhood is a 24hr “call” that never ends – there are no more post-call naps and the baby “pager” does not turn off. The first four months after the twins came home from their 16 day stint in the Texas Children’s Hospital NICU is a blur, but I do remember a lot of shushing, swaddling, rocking, cuddling, breast pumping, sleepless nights, and unforgettable crying…from both babies and mommy! Somehow my husband and I survived double the spit-ups, the diaper blowouts, the colic, the meltdowns, the mysterious hives, the “surprise” roll off the couch, and the unbelievable Niagara Falls of drool. All the challenging times, however, are quickly overlooked when we experience the toothless, gummy smiles, the belly laughs, and the kissable chubby cheeks. Each month I think, “this is the BEST month yet,” and then am surprised the following month that it just keeps on getting better. It’s so amazing to see them develop and reach their milestones and a joy to observe them experience new things for the first time. Right now, the new things the babies are doing are crawling, eating pureed foods, and babbling and touching each other through their cribs – it’s so heart-warming to see them finally acknowledge each other and keep each other company. I think the #1 question from friends and family is if the twins are sleeping through the night. We were SO lucky to report that they have been sleeping in the same room for a full 11-12 hours since they were 4 ½ months. I think the first glorious night this phenomenon happened was life changing, and I thought to myself “Wow, we can really do this!”
One of the most wonderful experiences thus far, however, is watching my own mother progress into her new role as a grandmother. She has been essential to our survival as new parents, and I was comforted to know she would be home with the babies and my nanny when I went back to work full time. I can certainly say that she loves her role as “PoPo,” which is what we call her in Chinese for grandmother. I have always had the utmost admiration for what she has accomplished as a single mom as she raised my two sisters and me on her own after my father passed away unexpectedly. As a new mom, I have even more respect for her achievement of raising us to be accomplished women. One interesting note about my mother is the greatest joy in her life is feeding other people. She is now showing her love to the twins by making up her own “gourmet” baby food and happily watching them gobble the food down with fervor. Who else would make the most delicious leek and carrot puree cooked in homemade pork broth but PoPo? She should really bottle this stuff up and sell it! Each day I come home from work, she is excited and proud to tell me how the twins “looooved” her new concoction. It is exciting to see how she has become more active and creative than I’ve seen her a long time, and I love how she is now sharing more stories of us growing up that I’ve never heard before. We are so blessed to have her live with us and be a part of our daily lives.
Becoming a new mom eight months ago has truly changed the meaning of Mother’s Day for me, and it made me love and respect my mother even more. I applaud all the wonderful and loving mothers out there. It is truly the most difficult yet rewarding job. I now truly understand the quote, “being a mother is learning about strengths you didn’t know you had, and dealing with fears you didn’t know existed,” by Linda Wooten. As far as how we will be celebrating Mother’s Day this year, I am happy to report I will not be celebrating my first Mother’s Day on a 24hr call this time, and my husband says he is planning a surprise involving the perfect combination of “food and family.” Happy Mother’s Day to all the incredible moms out there – you are all a true testament of unconditional love and sacrifice.
