You should have prepared for the babys arrival earlier!
My leaving the hospital was anything but ordinary. My husband was still at work and only managed to collect me straight from his office in the City. Id begged him to ask for time off, even just a single day, but his manager wouldnt have it. I pleaded with him to get everything ready for our baby. He promised me he would sort it all. If only wed organised ourselves, the laundry would have been done, the shopping finished, and the flat put into order. But instead! Thirty-year-old Emmas voice cracked as she vented her frustration.
So he didnt keep his promise?
I went into hospital unprepared, and when I came home, it was complete chaos. I felt mortified in front of my family, who dropped by to welcome us. The dust was so thick on the shelves that I could have written my name in it. No pram, no changing unit, nothing really. He hadnt even bothered to buy clothes for the baby. Thankfully my friends gave me some nappies, Emma continued, still reeling from the ordeal.
Emma had married six years ago. Now, she and her husband were parents at last. Theyd put off having a child until they were on steady ground. When things improved, she decided it was time.
I told my boss straight away that I was pregnantand that was the end of that. I was out on my ear. Others might have fought it, but I took it as a sign. I started preparing for motherhood in my own waydoing embroidery and enjoying those quiet days at home. We werent worried about money since my husband had just got promoted, she explained.
Her pregnancy was smooth. Emma would read, take long walks, and gently browse for baby things, savouring each moment.
My husband insisted I shouldnt buy anything before the birthits bad luck, he said. His familys old superstition, apparently. My sister promised to give us her old cot and chest of drawers. Shed put aside some bits for us and asked me to fetch and clean them ahead of time. But I was only allowed to pack my hospital baghe wouldnt have me do any more than that, Emma sighed deeply.
But when labour started, her husband panicked, suddenly realising how much there was still to buy and do. Emma, in the throes of childbirth, worried because she hadnt even had time to take the washing out of the machine. It sat there, damp and musty, until she returned home.
Thank God for my friends, who brought me baby grows and nappies, so at least I had something to use. My husband ended up legging it around town, picking up whatever baby things he could find. Most were dusty, grimy, or stained. I had to rewash everything and wait for it to dry. In those days, I could have gladly murdered every relative and divorced my husband! Her eyes shimmered with unshed tears.
For days, Emma scrubbed, tidied, and ordered her home. Two months have passed since her sons birth, but she still cant bear the thought of visitors.
Now the relatives think enough times passed for a visit. They expect a proper Sunday roast Honestly! Its as if theyve given me a job, Emma said, nerves on edge.
Emmas mother cant understand why her daughter isnt happier. Clearly, they hadnt readied the flat. She should have thought of that herself! Nine months at homewhat was she doing? She could have asked him to bring in the baby furniture and do some cleaning. Surely it wouldnt have been so hard to change his mind on the shopping. You have to sort your own lifewho counts on men anyway?
Do you think Emma has a right to resent her family, or is it really her own fault? Should she have prepared for the baby herself? What would you have done if you were in her place?
