A Simple Gift for a New Mother

When my daughter was born, I felt like the luckiest mom in the world.

I had an easy pregnancy, and my husband and I eagerly prepared our home for the arrival of our new baby. We decided not to find out the sex of the baby, knowing in our hearts it didn’t matter, as long as everyone was healthy. Our baby was to be born in one of the best maternity clinics in Canada, welcomed into this big, beautiful world by her loving parents and a team of highly skilled nurses and doctors.

After 24 hours of labour, our sweet baby was suddenly considered at risk. With a dropping heart rate, the doctors decided in an instant that there was no time to wait. She had to come now. And with all the luxuries of our high-tech hospital, my baby was born at 8:25pm, on June 24, 2009. With only a few dents and bruises due to the doctor’s quick reaction to her needs, my sweet little girl arrived in perfect health.

To honour the birth of my daughter, a friend gave me the gift of pre-natal care from the Best.Gift.Ever catalogue. This gift was the perfect reminder of how mothers around the world are, every minute of every day, bringing their beautiful babies into this world.

I was lucky to have the best possible care for my baby and me. However, I know many women are not so lucky. But, through the support of Best.Gift.Ever, Canadian Feed The Children is helping to improve the quality of care for mothers who need it most. For pregnant women living in rural Bolivia or Haiti, access to health care is a challenge. High-risk pregnancies go unnoticed and even worse than that, high-risk deliveries leave both mom and baby in desperate need of medical care. The gift of pre- and post-natal care provides pregnant and breastfeeding moms with vitamins and nutritional support, access to a doctor or mid-wife and educational support on how to care for both mom and baby.

I relied on my doctor and nurses to support me, give me direction through my pregnancy and most importantly, safely deliver my baby. My daughter is the best gift ever, and it is so nice to know that Canadian Feed The Children is working to safely bring other moms’ beautiful bundles of joy into the world.

- Michelle Carpenter

Give your Mom the Best.Gift.Ever this Mother’s Day: www.bestgiftever.ca

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