Tamra Smith-Wasel shares her daughter's adoption birth story for our April Showers Birth Stories Series.
We adopted our daughter. But up until she was born, we weren't sure it was ever going to happen.
Her birthmother picked us as she liked the fact that my husband was also adopted. However, after we had made the arrangements with her through the adoption agency, we didn't hear from her for three weeks. We were worried that she’d changed her mind, but we decide to continue as if everything was proceeding normally. I went out and bought the absolute minimum of what I thought I’d need for the first few days of our new baby’s life. Then we waited.
One Friday afternoon, I got a call from her friend. The birthmom was having back pains and she thought that labor would be starting soon. I thought that meant I had a few days; I was so wrong! I got the call at 2:30 am the next day; it was the birthmother letting me know that her water had broken and she was heading to the hospital. I was living at my mom's at the time while my husband was in the UK studying for his doctorate. I called my husband and told him what had happened. He immediately got on the phone to see about getting a flight. Unfortunately, he couldn't get one until the next day, so he waited anxiously at home. Then I woke my mom and we headed out for an 80 mile drive in the pouring rain.
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We arrived at the hospital at 5:15 am and 45 minutes later, I watched my daughter being born. After they cleaned her up and put her under a heating lamp, I called my husband to let him know the great news. When he answered, I told him to listen and I put the phone near my daughter's mouth. As if on cue, she let out a big cry. That was how my husband was introduced to our daughter.
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