{"id":7202,"date":"2018-04-26T16:41:51","date_gmt":"2018-04-26T16:41:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/341.nmdprojects.net\/2017\/?p=7202"},"modified":"2018-04-26T22:19:53","modified_gmt":"2018-04-26T22:19:53","slug":"assignment12_kendrac","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/341.nmdprojects.net\/2017\/assignment12_kendrac\/","title":{"rendered":"Assignment12_KendraC"},"content":{"rendered":"

Circuition\u00a0<\/strong><\/h1>\n

My sister Mikala became pregnant in the spring of 2017. \u00a0It was a genuine shock to her 22 year old self because she wasn’t trying to conceive and certainly wasn’t prepared for all the responsibilities that come with being a parent. \u00a0My family and I thought for sure my sister wasn’t in a position to have a child. \u00a0She had spend the last few years lost and isolated and there were times we thought life was just going to wash her away and she’d be taken from us forever.<\/p>\n

I watched her, for nine months, grow from 95 pounds of nothing to 120 pounds of a little something. \u00a0Each month of her pregnancy brought her closer to the family again and we were starting to become more hopeful of her future. \u00a0She was looking healthier, taking more pride in her self image and forming better habits. \u00a0I was pleasantly astounded by how open she had become with us. \u00a0Even through all the progress my sister had made, my mother and I had our reservations. \u00a0She had been diagnosed with a mental illness when she was a teenager and it was a big reason why she started making unhealthy choices. \u00a0We were aware of the high rate of postpartum depression in mothers who suffered from mental illness and were concerned this debilitating condition might hijack my sisters progress. \u00a0We tried to establish a plan of action. \u00a0My mother talked briefly about moving my sister and her boyfriend in with them but there wasn’t enough room in her and my fathers congested mobile home. \u00a0My family realized we were going to have to handle this situation on our toes.<\/p>\n

At 9 a.m. on Feb. 3, She started feeling the early signs of labor. \u00a0She was in the hospital within the hour but it would prove to be a long day and harrowing night. \u00a0My sister spent the whole day managing her contractions well, they were very far apart and it was clear by the afternoon that we were all in for a long night. \u00a0My sister sat in the hospital bed, getting up to walk once in a while in hopes to increase labor, as family members poured in and out of the hospital room all day. \u00a0Daylight faded into moonlight and the contractions got more intense. \u00a0Eventually, even the epidural couldn’t suppress the pain. \u00a0My sister spent the early hours of Feb. 4 writhing in pain. \u00a0My mother, my sisters boyfriend and myself sat helplessly beside her, watching her suffer knowing there was nothing we could do. \u00a0This was something she had to go through, a journey only she could complete. \u00a0Every difficulty, pain, anxiety and panic she had experienced as a lost young girl in the last few years were being manifested in this one night. \u00a0We didn’t know if she was strong enough to overcome it all again. \u00a0And then she did. \u00a0There was this slimy pale little alien like creature whining on her chest and all the bad was gone. \u00a0I watched this little human quietly respond to my sisters whimpers from across the room where they were weighing her and cleaning her up. \u00a0She was aware of every noise my sister made, as if she was still tethered to her. \u00a0It was a moment of bond I will never forget.<\/p>\n

My baby niece is now almost four months old and the bond between her and my sister has grown stronger. \u00a0It has been an amazing experience to watch my sister grow in this way and overcome her past and the obstacles that were in her way. \u00a0As her big sister I have always tried to guide her and be the person she needed but I realize now there is nothing I could have done. \u00a0My sister needed to find the strength inside her to overcome her obstacles. \u00a0My baby niece is the person who has given her a whole new reason to live and thrive. \u00a0A new understanding of life. \u00a0It’s been about a year since her life changed completely and I never could have imagined her becoming the person she is now. \u00a0I have a new hope for her future and feel like I have a sister again.<\/p>\n

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