A Brief Hello
Fruitless labor
Pitocin-dosed
forced contractions
Tears doubled
by knowing
what’s to come
The final push
The heartbreaking
silence
She holds the baby
who will never
suckle at her breast
Tiny boy, gone
before he arrived
An empty promise
Yet, she holds him
Swaddles him
Kisses him
Strokes him
Adores him
Names him
One photo
Mom and Gabriel
Her little angel
Goodbye
© 2013 Amy Barlow Liberatore/Sharp Little Pencil
Well, after the fun with Shakespeare yesterday, I fell into memories of my mom and her telling me about “the one that got away.” Times have changed since then: Even though my mother’s baby was about six months old, she never saw her second girl child. Susan at Imaginary Garden With Read Toads, where I’ve been posting daily since the first of April, asked for a Hello or Hello/Goodbye poem, so this allowed me to put my emotions into words. This will also appear at my poetic birthing center, Poets United.
Nowadays, they take a picture, they do name the baby, they have a funeral, a burial or internment. I think it’s a healthy part of the grieving process that will come no matter what, for the mother with swollen breasts and no baby to feed. I wish my mother could have met her baby girl. May all babies be born healthy – and wanted. Peace, Amy
Sharp Little Pencil 
McGuffy Ann
I felt the pain; I identify.
margaretbednar
The heartbreaking silence… Oh, I can’t even imagine how still borne babies were handled. It is so important for their her to hold her baby whether it is hello or goodbye. With my first born, I was in military hospital in TX. The woman in the curtain was giving her baby up for adoption. She cried and cried. I’ll never forget it.
timkeen40
Someone I know once was told that se had a stillborn baby still inside of them. They were also told that she had to carry that baby to term and give birth to it. I can’t imagine what those final few weeks must have been for her or that final day knowing that she was finally rid of the child she had carried so long, but would know only for the shortest of times.
This one was very touching and haunting as well.
Tim
Susan
Amen to your comment. This happened to a friend of mine recently–both the feelings in the poem and the modern procedure. It’s too much, the mourning goes on and on. I truly felt each stage of it from your poem. Thank you, Amy.
kaykuala
This where Man suffers most – not knowing what can be expected. The anxiety of child-birth wears away a man more than the mother’s physical pain. Why? He has his sympathies for mother at that point of time and an extra bundle of joy to think about for the rest of his life.
It’s just a passing ‘pain’ though,for, the joy of sharing of 3 souls for life beats everything else. You’ve captured it perfectly! Great take Amy!
Hank
Diane Turner
What a poignant piece. Her pain is palpable and went right to my belly, too.
Masterful use of words. Thanks for sharing.
Sherry Blue Sky
A heartbreaking situation, and so well told. Beautiful and sad, as is your mother’s story. How sad to not have been allowed to see and hold her.
Julia of A Dose of Jules
so sad….thank you so much for sharing this with us.
Helen
Amen, Amy … amen.
Kay, Alberta, Canada
Oh, so sad, Amy. When I was nine I had a newborn sister who never made it home from the hospital. It must have been agony for my parents, because I know it was agony for me. I had such grand dreams of being helpful, and learning to take care of her.
It took me years to say goodbye.
K
Susie Clevenger (@wingsobutterfly)
This breaks my heart. I have a young friend who had twins. The girl was born healthy and the little boy was stillborn I can’t imagine the pain or the pain of giving a child up for adoption.
Jinksy
A touching tribute to all not-quite- mums-and-babies…
oldegg
Gut wrenching even for prospective fathers.
Polly Robinson
Shared ~ identified ~ grieved for
Mary
This is truly heartbreaking, Amy.
Kerry O'Connor
So brutally tragic to have to go through the ordeal of delivering a stillborn child. There are no words.
Sara v
Amy, Amen! So sad. And even now they’re not that sensitive, my sister-in-law gave birth to a stillborn and they really pressured her to donate the baby’s body to science. Insensitive? Yea. Thank you for your beautiful words ❤
I HAVE A VOICE
heartbreaking and sweetly written as if in a hush.