Happy Birthday to ME.....I mean To my #1 Son

by: Trisha Novotny
24/7 MOMS Founder

It's not actually my birthday ..it is my #1 Son's. However, 21 years ago I am the one who birthed him so, actually it should be my day to celebrate the day I endured the pain of delivering my first child.

What do you recall from the day your child was born or placed into your arms?

What feelings and emotions went running through your head that day or night?

Some of my memories were

- Waking up in the middle of the night in labor realizing no need to be induced as was planned. We are going to have a baby today regardless.

- Taking my last shower with a big belly, thinking in a few hours I would be holding a little person who's sex was still a surprise to us.

- Waking my mom up who had arrived the day prior to let her know it was time to meet her first grand baby.

- Arriving at the hospital thinking here we go to the unknown of what will happen to me over the next several hours

- Hearing another mommy who was about to deliver SCREAMING at the top of her lungs. Great, what had I gotten myself into? Then the sound of a new baby crying.

- The arrival of my Doctor who began explaining more than I wanted to know and asking the big question did I want drugs? did I want her to help things along by breaking my water? and on and on she went as my head was spinning wondering about those unknowns ahead.

- Giving my answers No drugs ( I'm a needle phobic) , Yes- break my water let's meet this little person who has been sharing my belly with me, Yes- I want to eat but you won't let me and No, I don't have to go to the bathroom again.

- Gush was about all I remember and the pain began and within an hour or so a little person arrived into my world as my mom and husband looked on in amazement. We prayed, we smiled, we laughed and I'm pretty sure a few tears were shed looking at this amazing little person we quickly named Stephen Ray Novotny Jr. Yes, it was May 16th 1989 and our #1 son had arrived and I became a MOM.

- The minutes, hours and days following might be a bit fuzzy now but I do know that becoming a mom completely changed my world as it has yours, that my life has never been the same, never been more rewarding, never been as busy, never been so crazy, and never been so exhausting.

But every minute of the last 21 years being Stephen Ray Novotny jr's mom has been AMAZING.

My #1 Son is compassionate, loving , giving, kind, charming, brilliant, and never stops amazing me with the man he has grown into being. Oh yes, there were and are plenty of days I think is this my child, who raised him and why is he acting or behaving like this? but as each day goes by I am more and more thankful for the opportunity to be his mom.

The days have been long but the years have been short on the mom journey of raising my #1 Son. So, MOM's enjoy the journey the good, the bad, the easy, the hard, the fun, the rewarding and even the exhausting the years go by so quickly I promise.


Once again Happy Birthday to ME.....being the mom of 5 I should get 5 Birthdays per year one on each day I celebrate the birth of one of my children.