I, like most Americans, don’t have much information about Sarah Palin. Unfortunately it seems the only news I have found is centered on internet rumors and the Republican’s online efforts to combat those rumors.
Sarah Palin is certainly a study in contradictions. She appears to be the epitome of the modern working woman. With five children, a high-stakes career, staunch morals and convictions, she is the kind of woman who likely faces tough choices every single day of her life.
I can sympathize with her because I know how hard it can be to make the best choices–which are not always viewed as exactly the best by all those whom are affected. The choices she made during her pregnancy with Trig, and the day of his delivery, are choices that I, as a patriotic American woman, whole-heartedly support. Although I personally would not have done the same things she did that day, I do believe in the free-will of the individual to choose what is best for him or herself in any given situation.
Speaking as a working mother of five myself, there are a few things that have me in fits, though. All these rumors about Sarah Palin faking her pregnancy with her fifth child have me wondering, “What a mother wouldn’t do to protect her children. What a career-minded woman wouldn’t do to protect her image.” Hmmm.
I have a 19 year old daughter who became pregnant at 17, and while it never occured to me to fake a pregnancy so that our family wouldn’t face shame, it DID occur to me that my 17 year old was not equipped to become a parent. Therefore, I was willing to raise her child, my grandchild, along with my daughter in my household. It was my natural instinct to protect my daughter by giving her the opportunity to still be a child while also nurturing her on to be a good parent. In the end, she did keep her baby and she is doing a wonderful job. The fact is, my daughter’s choices were her own choices and no amount of my “help” would save her from the stigma of being a teen parent, or save her from the tough road ahead for her and her new family, or save any of us from the circumstances we all found ourselves in at the time. Further, she is living the best life she can despite circumstance and because of her (continued tough) choices. I couldn’t be more proud of her!
(And, by the way, my heart goes out to Bristol Palin. It is one thing to be a pregnant teen and deal with the pressures surrounding this issue. It is completely another to suddenly be the subject of national conversation. Imagine the weight that girl is shouldering! Poor thing. I just pray for her!)
As far as Mrs. Palin is concerned, I am trying to give her the benefit of doubt, trying desperately to believe that Trig IS in fact Sarah’s fifth child.
The problem I have is–funny enough, again–my own experiences. I recall the doctor measuring my womb each time, and stating that it is very common for a woman’s uterus to stretch with each successive pregnancy, making for a more “pronounced” baby bump. It was reported Palin announced her pregnancy at seven months, much to the shock of all those around her. Apparently, none of her staff had any clue because Palin showed no signs of being pregnant.
Also, my labors seemed to get shorter and shorter each time, too. With my first child, I labored for 48 hours, number two was 18 hours, and so on until, by child number five, I was in labor for a total of five hours–that is from the time I noticed amniotic fluid leaking until the time she was born.
On April 18, Palin was in Texas scheduled to give a speech at the GOP Governor’s convention when she noticed she was leaking amniotic fluid. My first question is, “how did she get approval to fly from Alaska to Texas at eight months into her high-risk pregnancy?”
I had an opportunity to travel during three of my pregnancies–none of which were considered high risk–and my doctor advised me NOT to travel at six months, even though I wanted/needed to. What’s more, airlines required a permission letter from my doctor if I did choose to travel.
After her speech, it is reported, she flew home from Texas, an 8 or 11 hour flight with a lay-over in Seattle (depending on which source you’re reading), drove another 45 minutes from the airport to the hospital where she would give birth to Trig. (Phew! They made it!)
AND then, I heard on CNN this morning, that she went back to work THREE days after Trig was born! Is this woman INSANE!?
I am ALL about a woman’s right to choose; to choose to carry a pregnancy to term, to choose when and where her child is to be born, to choose to ignore her doctor’s advice and rely on faith, and I believe in her right to choose when she is to go back to work.
But come on! I remember each of my own five deliveries and what I was doing at day three post-partum!
I WAS SUFFERING MISERABLY FROM MASTITIS! That’s what I was doing three days after giving birth! My boobs were ginormous and engorged and I was trying desparatly to get my babies to latch on so that I could get some relief from the pain! While I felt healthy otherwise, I was a bit weak at times, and had to sit down to recoup my energy. I was going through hormonal fluctuations that had me euphoric one moment and crying in bed the next! My family will agree that I was a mad-woman those first few days weeks after delivery. For me to hear that this woman went back to work, as A GOVERNOR(!!), at day three post-partum…something just doesn’t sit right with her story! As a side note, it would interest me to see what decisions were made in those few weeks after she returned from “maternity leave.”
At any rate, I will be watching the GOP Convention tonight as Palin delivers her speech. I am curious to learn more about this woman, in her own words.
