Any @ Sept 11, 2001 births out there?

[IdentityCrisisMama]

My daughter was born on week after Septemeber 11. I didn't know about MDC then and never got to talk about that with any other mamas. Are you out there?

[Greaseball]

Well, not me, but dh's birthday is 9-11-62!

SIL also had a baby on 9-12-01.

[Quirky]

Well, I had a birthday that day and so did wombat....but neither of us had a baby that day.

That must have been a pretty stressful time for you, being hugely pregnant on top of everything else.

[mittendrin]

ds's edd was 9-11-02 and people kept calling me all day long if i was in labor already and that it wouldn't be a good day to have a baby. i cursed them out, i was tired, in severe backpain and didn't give a rat's ass what kinda anniversary it was. i just wanted the baby out!!! he came on the 15th...

[LDSmomma6]

My DD was born 9-14-01. I was so upset about the whole thing, and cried for 2 days, and my water broke...12 days before her EDD.

[youngnhappymamma]

I didn't have a baby on that day, but I was at home laying in bed because I had put myself on bedrest because I spotting and my dh had taken my two older kids to the park....otherwise I would never had even turned on the tv to see what was happening, etc. I also went in for an ultrasound that day because of the spotting and listened to all the news and everything all the way there and back. We lived a short four hours away from New York City at the time.....it was an over all stressful day!

[JeanetteL]

Hi,
My dd was born 9-19-01, she was due on 9-10 and my parents were flying on 9-11. They were grounded outside of NYC when all the planes were made to land, and didn't arrive here in Phoenix until Sunday. I had spent so many weeks waiting and hoping to go into labour, and spent all that week just hoping and praying not to. Suddenly, I was just happy she was inside me, safe and sound - it would have been a very difficult time to have a baby. In the end, I had three days with my family before Bella made her grand entrance. Being one day past my due date, watching those planes hit the towers and being terrified for my family was a surreal experience. I guess none of us will ever really be the same.

Jeanette

[IdentityCrisisMama]

Thanks everyone. I don’t know what got me thinking about this. It’s strange to me that I would want to talk about it but I do and never got to. I mean I talked about my labor and lots of people listened and understood but never about the experience of the time period.

Aya just woke up so I don’t have much time but I just wanted to add my few things.

I too was sooo ready and looking forward to the birth (edd was Sept 13) and I actually wanted to go into labor on a Tuesday because of DH work schedule. Tuesday was Sept 11.

After that I also wasn’t ready to give birth. Like you said, Jeanette, I wanted her safe inside me.

What really go to me was everyone calling asking if I had the baby and then without pausing talked about the death count…like they were in the same sentence…my labor…death count. I stopped answering the phone.

Anyway, I went into labor on a Tuesday, September 18th.

Thanks for sharing everyone. Please continue if it makes you comfortable. It is somehow very healing to hear your experiences…even with different years or experiences of friends or family.

[JeanetteL]

I just went back to my online journal for the first time in a long time. Here is my entry from 9-11, along with a letter I wrote to my baby.

_______________
9-11-01
40 Weeks - 1 Day

Today's tragedy has me absolutely stunned. Yesterday all I could think about is when my baby would arrive, I was so impatient. Today I just feel like keeping the baby safe inside me, the world seems like a crazy and unsafe place to bring a child into. Yesterday I wanted so badly to go into labour, now I am praying that I do not - this is not a day I would choose for my baby's birthday.

Like millions of people around the world, I watched this play out in front of me on the television. I was glued there all day, seeing unspeakable tragedy unfold before my eyes. The horror is unimaginable, and the world today seems a different place to me than it did yesterday. I feel, like I am sure so many people do, that a part of my idealism has been lost forever. Tonight Sam and I just feel so emotionally drained, I simply cannot believe that this has happened. My perspective of the world has been forever altered, and I think it will take some time to regain a positive outlook. My thoughts and prayers are with all that have lost their lives, family members or friends today.

My Baby,
I have been able to shelter you inside me for nine months now and soon I must relinquish you to the world.

Know that I will forever strive to keep you safe and protected. There will be times in your life when a mother's love, no matter how fierce, cannot shield you from pain. During those times I will be there to hold you in my arms, to comfort you and to dry your tears.

I will do my best to instill in you the belief that the world is a good place, and that the people of the world are good people and that kindness and generosity can heal many wounds.

I will safeguard the innocence of your childhood as long as I can, but when something happens to threaten that innocence I will do my best to help you understand that when bad things happen we must be strong and do what we can to help those in need.

I will tell you that in the face of a tragedy it is alright to feel weak and afraid, that you can always lean on me for strength, and that courage comes from the inside.

Most of all I will love you, unconditionally and eternally.
Your Mother

[DarkHorseMama]

My DD was born on the 6th of September (which was the Thursday before) and I didn't get to come back home until Sunday due to C-sxn birth. We came home to our hot water heater having ruptured and overflowed into our basement. Hmmm, new baby, tired mama, no hot water....much swearing. We got it repaired the next day (Monday) to the tune of $750 : plus I had to deal with the plumber in and out of the house all day.

Just when I thought things had settled down, I woke up Tuesday morning and headed to the computer to check my message board. Someone had posted some bizarre message about a plane crashing into the WTC and later into the Pentagon. eh? So I tried to log onto CNN's website and *couldn't*....then I got vaguely chilled and concerned. Turned on the TV and there, in living color, was the sight of the WTC towers on fire and within a couple of minutes a shot of the 2nd plane hitting. Woke up DH and said I thought he needed to come to the lounge and see something. We both sat in horror for a while, then I went and scooped up my new little DD and just sobbed.

I was grateful that DH was home on paternity leave with me. At least we got to spend that time together as a newly-minted but scared family.

[mama2annabelle]

I don't have a 9/11 baby...yet...but I may in the future. I'm pregnant and this baby is due Sept.11, 2004. Every time I tell someone my due date I get a *gasp* or and *oh no*. It's really starting to make me mad. And I know as my pregnancy progresses I will get asked that question over and over and get the same responses. I know babies are rarely born on their due dates...but I don't think it will be horrible if this baby is born on his/hers. I think it will bring a little more light to a dark day.

Now I'm just trying to think of a good response to the negative comments I've been getting. Any suggestions???

[mrzmeg]

That was a beautiful letter, Jeanette.

DS was due on Sept 11, 2002 (he came wayyyy late, though). After a few negative reactions, I just didn't tell people my exact due date. I would just say 'mid September'. Much easier than having that dread feeling every time someone asks when you're due.

[Irishmommy]

Well my dd1's b'day is September 11, but 1994. She was very traumatized about it being on her birthday, and even now still has issues with it. We didn't even talk much about it around her, and didn't have the tv on with kids around.

[Pepper]

+

[IdentityCrisisMama]

I guess that for me the worst thing about expecting around that time applies doubly for those with birthdays on that day. What was the most frustrating thing was always having the birth of my first child related to the bombing.

I imagine for those people with actual birthdays on any Sept. 11, you have this situation where to conversation is instantly shifted from discussing your first day to violence.

JeanetteL, yes, that is a very nice letter to your baby. We've saved lots of news papers and a video of all the news footage. My husband wanted to have it for Aya when she is older.

DarkHorseMama, what a day. In some ways I did want to hold my baby in those early days. Did you feel like some of your deserved *new mama* attention was being taken from you?

mama2annabelle, I think your new baby would bring some light to that day and that is a very beautiful way to think about it. If you get tired of the association, I would not tell people the *exact* date. There are some additional advantages to that as well.

Pepper, I thought I read that there was a large number of babys conceived after sept 11. I think many people were thinking about how imortant family is during those days.




I have a *funny* story about expecting around Sept. 11.

I was fully expecting to give birth before my edd (Sept 13-I think) because my midwives actually told me that I would go early—strange looking back on it.

Anyway, I had NO stretch marks until that last week so, naturally, I blame my stretch marks on the Sept. 11 bombing. I may have just vocalized *the* single most trivial (okay, and unlikely) consequence of that day.