Even though it happened a few weeks early and not in the way we expected, the day my first Grandchild was born is a day I will never forget.

I was told by other grandmothers, how amazing it is watching your children have children of their own and while I agreed it would be amazing, I didn’t realise just how amazing. I guess it’s one of those things we have to experience to really appreciate it. I could sit and just watch her all day long.

Erika May is a tiny bundle of joy and a source of great anticipation for all of our family’s future. Her parents are doing a great job during those difficult first few weeks when everyone is getting to know each other.

A routine trip to the obstetrician and a very short six hours later, she was born by emergency Caesarean section three weeks early. Bub’s growth had slowed; her heartbeat was all over the place and my daughter’s blood pressure was up, so they decided, bub was better out than in, and the sooner the better.

I share a very close relationship with my daughter, for a lot of reasons. She had more than her fair share of struggles in life, starting with Spina Bifida Occulta, which was not diagnosed until about half way through primary school. While many people who have it are asymptomatic, the spinal defect caused complete incontinence in her. By high school, anxiety became a major issue and then severe depression set in.

She frequently would make comments like, “I wish I wasn’t here”, “If I go away, you can have a normal life” “Give me a box to live in and you can bring me food but I will never have to come out again” and then, the heart breaking, “No one will ever want me. No one will ever love me Mum”.

Not long after she finished high school, everything changed, with her future husband riding in on his ‘white stallion’ to literally save her life. The day he proposed marriage to her was very emotional for me and for her for I knew now that she would be loved for whom she was.

I tell you all this so you can maybe get some idea of how incredible this current scenario is. She is with a man who loves her dearly, just the way she is, and now she has a brand new baby girl. I always told her things would work out for her but I must admit, they were mostly words of comfort only as I really had no idea where her life was going.

Her life as a parent will be full of ups and downs, just like for all parents, but with support from her husband and her extended family, I know she will be the best Mum imaginable.

Whilst the world can sometimes seem like a scary place to raise a child, I believe it is so essential that caring, sensitive people continue to have children so that the world can have more caring sensitive people for the future. They are a very important part of our communities.

Well, I’m off to visit my new granddaughter, again. My hubby keeps telling me, sarcastically, “Just remember this is not your baby”. He’s right, she’s not, but she’s just too darn cute to stay away from for too long.