Monday, January 18, 2016

Being a Motherless Mom

“Do you want to know what we’re having?" I asked my mom. "No, I’ll wait and see,” she said with a smile. There was no guarantee that she would get to meet this grandchild, my firstborn. Actually, it was highly unlikely. She had been given two weeks to two months left to live and I still had over three months left in my pregnancy. I guess she was being hopeful but I was feeling realistic and desperate to tell her. “Mom, in case anything happens, I really want to tell you.” She nodded her head in agreement while tears poured down her face, not wanting to accept this reality. I could barely get the words out: “It’s a boy.” We were both crying bittersweet tears. I am the oldest of five girls. The first and only grandchild so far was also a girl. This would be the first boy in our family and totally unknown territory for me.


A few weeks later, while she was lying in her bed and mostly unresponsive, I whispered in her ear, “His name will be Kai.” I let her know that his middle name would be my maiden name. Her eyes still closed, she smiled. There was nothing else I could tell her about the grandson she would never meet. I would not be able to tell her that he would be 9lbs 11oz, have dark brown hair, and display the sweetest dimples. I wouldn’t be able to share my story with her of his emergency C-section birth. I would not be able to see her smile while watching him now as a nine year old; a beautiful, freckly, hockey- and math-loving sweetheart.

My mom passed away when I was six months pregnant. The grief was unlike any feeling I ever had and I truly felt joy leave my body. I felt as though I was expected to be thankful that I had a new life coming, as though he would replace the life that was lost. One life cannot replace another.  A baby cannot take the place of a mother in your life.

My mom was my greatest supporter and encourager. Her gift was listening with unconditional love. Who would help me through the newborn stage? Who would encourage me? Who would care about the day-to-day things that happened to me?

The first six months of Kai’s life were very tough. His birth was traumatic for me and he cried all the time. I didn’t feel the love at first sight that I thought I was supposed to. How did all these mothers before me do this? I felt confused as to why everyone had just said “Congratulations!” when they heard we were having a baby. Why didn’t anyone tell me how hard it was? How crazy labour could be? How terrible sleep deprivation was? How I would be so frustrated with my husband for not understanding what I was going through? Also, because my mother had passed away, I began to think maybe my husband or child would, too. How could I keep them safe? What would I do if that happened?


Over time, love for my Kai Bear grew as did my patience for my husband. I think the fact that we all started sleeping through the night when he was six months old was definitely a factor. I started emailing with another woman who had lost her mom just before I did (she actually happened to be my husband’s ex-girlfriend). She was a “wounded healer"; she had been there and could help validate and navigate my feelings. She gave me hope. I’m also fortunate to have four sisters in my support network. Daily emails have continued over the past nine years which have allowed us all to feel heard, known, and loved. Slowly came the understanding that we don’t have control over a lot of what happens in life and it really helps to find something to appreciate in each day that we have been given. I can try to keep my child safe, but really, there is only so much that I can do. Worrying about it won’t change anything.

Over the past eight years, we have added two more children to our family. When I found out that our third child would be a girl, we decided that her middle name would be my mother’s; we named her Nya Greta. There is something so special about having a mother-daughter relationship again and I am extremely grateful for it.

It is hard being a Motherless Mom. Those times when people say “Oh, I bet your mom loves being a grandma!” or “Can your mom help you out?” are constant reminders of what and who I am missing. I try to help my kids connect to their grandma by telling stories about her and cooking meals that she used to make for us. Time, support from others, faith in God, and the solid foundation of love-filled mothering I received as a child, have allowed me to embrace this role. I can hear my mother’s voice saying “Way to go, girl!” each and every day. I know she would be proud of me and her beautiful grandchildren.  I can say now that joy has returned to my life.

"Joy seems to me a step beyond happiness – happiness is a sort of atmosphere you can live in sometimes, when you're lucky.  Joy is a light that fills you with hope and faith and love." –Adela Rogers St. Johns

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Being a motherless mom is difficult and you are not alone.


**This post originally appeared on The Good Mother Project; a wonderful collaborative project with real moms and their stories**

20 comments:

  1. this is so heartbreaking, and Im truly sorry about your mother. My mom is still here and well, although I only get to see her a few times a year due to the huge distance between us. I miss her all the time, and every visit isn't long enough.

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    1. Thank you. I imagine being far apart would be so hard too! Yay for technology and telephones :)

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  2. This is beautiful, Louise. I'm so, so sorry that your life took this turn. You are a wonderful Mom and she would be so proud of you!!

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    1. Thanks, Katrina! I think she would be proud of me but even more so of these kids of mine :)

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  3. You too have been a "wounded healer". :)

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  4. This truly hits home for me. Today we buried my mother. One year to the day that I buried my partner and father of my son. I was 6 months pregnant with my son when his father passed away. My son is 9 months old and I have buried my mother. Being a motherless mother is hard, being a partner less mother is hard. I thank you for writing your story it gives me strength. I hope that I am able to raise my son to be the person both his father and grandmother would be proud of. Much love to all mothers.

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    1. Tracey, I am so so sorry to read this. I have no idea how one goes on after so much loss but I guess it is day by day. I really hope that you have support around you to carry you during this time. Much love to you.

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  5. Thank you for writing this. I too am a motherless mom. Unfortunately, my mom passed away 2 years before we even conceived and that was after 6 years of trying to conceive. I was so focused on being there for my mom through her 5 year cancer battle that we never thought we would need help conceiving, I attributed all those negative pregnancy results to too much stress from worry over my mom's illness. We soon found out that there was a lot more wrong than stress so we had to seek help. When my husband and I finally got that positive test result the feeling was so bittersweet. The thought that I wouldn't be sharing any of the experiences with my mom, the shopping, the nursery prep and the exchange of stories/experiences...it was really hard. When our daughter was born was an amazing moment of joy but deep down I felt so sad because of not having my mom there with me. Everything you described from the moment your son was born, I felt it all too. Our daughter is 2 now and so amazing to have in our lives. I thank God for this beautiful blessing and pray that my mom is watching from above. And I'm also very grateful to have a mother in law who knows I miss my mom but tries to be 2 grandmothers. And also an amazing family that has always been there for me/us.
    So, thank you for writing this. It never gets easy but it does get better with time. Xo

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    1. Oh Sonia, I'm sorry. When you say "bittersweet", I think that summarizes so much of the journey. I'm glad that you have a great mother in law too, that does help (although it was a very difficult for me at first seeing my mother-in-law experience it without my own mom). Time does help. Hugs to you.

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  6. I am very sorry about your loss. Losing my mother has been very painful. My mother passed away from cancer at 56 years old. Two months later I found out I was pregnant. I've had two beautiful boys since then. There's so much I wish I could share with her everyday. Knowing I'm not alone and hearing from other motherless mom's that in time it gets easier is helpful. Thank you...I needed this.

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    1. What a bittersweet feeling finding out you were pregnant two months later. It is so hard not being able to share the ups and downs with someone who loves you SO much and would love to be a grandparent. Thank you for reading and commenting. PS My oldest two are boys too.

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  7. Lost my Mom last year and miss her terribly. Thank you for sharing

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    1. I'm sorry to hear this, Donna. Such a hard journey. Thank you for reading.

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  8. I lost my mother to leukemia when she was 46 and I was 28. At the time I didn't have children but have since had a boy and a girl. And there are days when I wish she was around so that I could call her and ask if whatever my kids were doing was normal or if I was even doing this all right. I'm sad she never got to meet her grandson ( I am the oldest of 3 girls and all my mother ever wanted was a boy) or her one and only granddaughter. My son looks so much like my mother as well so it's a bittersweet reminder of losing her some days. But we do what we can with what we have. I know she's watching over all of us and that gets me through most days.

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  9. I have been a motherless daughter since I was a child and when my son arrived, I was suddenly a motherless mother too. It was so friggin' hard. I miss her so much. I miss what was and what could have been.

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    1. I can't imagine starting the grief and loss journey at a young age. So so hard. Yes, it's missing what could have been. I'm sorry.

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  10. I lost my mom 4 years ago and though it never gets easier, I have noticed that I handle my emotions in different ways. I ignored my feelings alot at the beginning. Tried to move forward. Getting older allowing myself to be more vulnerable when I feel like it. To just delve into an emotional mess feels good.

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    1. Unbelievable how many women have lost their mom at a young age. I also ignored a lot of feelings and tried to just push on. I wish I had gotten counselling at that time. Have you read Brene Brown's books? Good on just digging into the grief/mess.

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