"9/11 Baby" Comments

[kitchensqueen]

So, over the last week or so, I've gotten some random comments from people (mostly strangers!) that are basically "Oh my goodness, I hope your baby isn't born on 9/11 - how horrible would that be!?"

First of all, has anyone else gotten comments like that recently? If so, what's your take on it?

My opinion and standard response is that if he is born on 9/11 that will be his birthday. And when pressed about the tragedy of the terrorist attacks ten years ago, my response is that the best thing we can do now is celebrate the every day joys and freedoms we all still have, and that is the best way to honor those that lost their lives at the time.

Just curious if others have faced the same type of comment/question recently.  

[Earthylady]

I haven't had a single 9/11 comment. As far as I'm concerned, what better way to bring joy to an otherwise not enjoyed day than to have a baby!

[Gracecody]

My Mom and I talked about it yesterday. My own birthday is on 9/12 and I have to say that 9/11 is super heavy, every single year and I am glad my birthday is the following day, not 9/11. My DH is one who likes to watch the news coverage of it ALL DAY on 9/11 so it is very emotional and tough. I personally wouldn't want my baby to be born on that day if I could choose but of course will make the best of it if it does happen and, as you have said, treat it is a really positive event that balances out the sadness of the day.

[time4latte]

Based on my LMP my due date is actually 9/11 not 9/9. At the beginning of my pregnancy I foresaw a bunch of issues, such as those kinds of comments, so I asked my midwife if we could tweak the "official" date. She chose 9/9 and I was okay with that. 9/9 isn't perfectly accurate (and my cycles were 28 days like clockwork) but I've been able to avoid comments like that. Most of the time when I'm asked my due date I split the difference and tell them 9/10 which is exactly half way between my mom's birthday and my husband's birthday. 9/12 is a good day too - it's also a full moon. When most people start asking me "when I'm going to have the baby" I answer, I simply don't know, it's not like I have a say in the matter. When he's ready to see the world, he'll come out.

[kitchensqueen]

I had a feeling I wasn't the only one getting asked this September. I know we're all going to be excited about our babies, no matter which day they choose to arrive. :-)

[NC05]

I have a friend whose birthday is 9/11. He will get occasional comments but not many. It wouldn't be my preference, but it would still be my baby's birthday and we would celebrate like any of our other children's birthdays. 

I would still love 9/10/11 but my kids and I have head colds and I am a lousy sick person anyway, so I think my body will hold onto baby a little longer so I can recover. :)

[wombatclay]

My dh was born on 9/11 and I have absolutely no problems with it as a birthday.  And I lived in NYC for years, had friends in the Towers, and am still close to other friends who lost loved ones.  The death and destruction was certainly horrific, and for a few years following we didn't celebrate Dh's birthday with a big party or anything "publically insensitive" like that.  But now we celebrate his birthday just like any other birthday.

I think in part it's an easy comment to make because, well, it's a tragedy that is "close" to a lot of Americans at the moment.  But every day has the potential to be a "terrible" day.  My dad's birthday is the same as the anniversary of the bombing of Pearl Harbor and growing up in an Army family this was a "big deal" every year and something he dealt with during his jr and high school career.  My brother was celebrating his birthday when the Challenger exploded and the crew was lost.  When I was pregnant with dd1, people commented that they hoped she wouldn't be born on April 19th (anniversary of the Oklahoma City bombing) or April 20th (Hitler's birthday).  When my aunt was pregnant (during the early 70s) she prayed every day that her daughter would not be born on March 16 (anniversary of the My Lai Massacre).

I guess it's just... there is a tragedy as well as a joy associated with every day of the year.  And the potential for tragedy as well as joy on any day moving forward.  There's no way to know when a totally "blah" day (like 9/11) will suddenly become "a date that will live in infamy".  And as history shows... that forever living infamy can be pretty short lived.  I mean, my dad remembers being asked about his "horrible" birthday during high school, but almost never during college, and these days I doubt the average guy on the street would know that there was anything particuarly unusual about Dec 7th, though they might remember the movie or know that the date sounded familiar for some reason.

So... I'd be thrilled if this babe shared a birthday with DH.  And I'd be thrilled if they arrived tomorrow and had the wonderfully geeky 9/10/11 birthdate.  And when people mention how sad it would be to have a 9/11 birthday (actually two people mentioned it to me today at the midwives' office) I just tell them it would be wonderful to bring life and joy into the world on a day when so many people need that sort of promise of new beginnings.  AND that it's dh's birthday and we'd be thrilled as a family to have a "two-fer".  LOL

[Mommel]

September 11th is also "National Hug Your Hound Day", "Make Your Bed Day", "No News is Good News Day", "Oh Susana Day", "Women's Baseball Day", ... and this year it's also "Grandparent's Day" and "National Pet Memorial Day".

You know... just sayin'... 

[kitchensqueen]

Yeah, for me personally I think that terrible things can and do happen every day, unfortunately. But we all just have to live our lives anyway find the happiness. Maybe so many people are mentioning it this year because it's the ten year anniversary. 

And I hadn't thought about how neat it would be for a 9-10-11 birthday! But I don't think my kid has any intention of coming today... he seems content to sit tight for another week! 

[CamilleBethany]

I personally was kind of hoping for a 9/11 birth date for my baby. Not in any morbid way... but 9/11/00 was my first date with DH. So it would have been special to have baby #4 on our 11 year (first date) anniversary!

I've heard of people getting out of traffic violations and other little things just because their birthday is 9/11!