“ Motherhood is a choice you make everyday , to put someone else ' s happiness and well-being ahead of your own , to teach the hard lessons , to do the right thing even when you ' re not sure what the right thing is … and to forgive yourself , over and over again , for doing everything wrong .”
Donna Ball At Home on Ladybug Farm
Alexandra , William , David and Henry Almeida
Alexandra Almeida
Alexandria Almedia and her husband David were high school sweethearts who , although they didn ' t go to the same school , — she went to Notre Dame and he went to Palma ( both in Salinas )— their schools were small and shared a band . They had band practice together and David often walked Alexandria back to her school after practice .
They married in 2013 and lived with her parents for a couple years while saving to buy their current home in Gilroy . Their first child , Henry James was born on Christmas Day , 2014 . On February 16 , 2018 they welcomed their second child , William David to their family . When gmhTODAY asked Alexandria if there were any notable differences in herexperiences with her first child and now her second , she said “ Oh my gosh , less time to worry . With Henry , I worried about every little thing .” She added , “ I also felt that I didn ’ t have time to enjoy the wonder of carrying William because I had Henry to think about .”
Both William and Henry were born at home , in a birthing tub with the assistance of a mid-wife . When asked what that was like , Alexandra said , “ It was so relaxing . The water was the perfect temperature . It really reduces the pain .” Although the birthing experience with Henry went off without a hitch , things got a little scary with William . Alexandra experienced an unusually large amount of blood loss . David said teasingly , “ we bought a few pair of cheap sheets , a rubber mat and some of our old towels came in handy .”
Their next challenge would come when William was diagnosed with a fairly rare condition called bilateral congenital cataracts ( a lens opacity that can produce profound visual impairment ) that would require surgery . The condition happens in about 0.4 percent of all births . They were told that the surgery would need to completed in under 10 weeks of birth to prevent blindness . David contributes the quick diagnoses of the condition to Alexandra , “ I was really impressed . Alexandra kept saying that William ’ s eyes looked different , that the black part was cloudy . I kept saying , don ’ t worry . But she was persistent . She searched the internet and found out what was wrong .”
During her pregnancy with William , Alexandra worried how Henry would handle having a baby brother . Her fears were put to rest a few days after William was born when Henry seemed to warm up to the idea of having a brother . “ Henry is so gentle with William now ,” she said . Then she remembered one morning when Henry came in and asked her if she could just put William down and fix him breakfast .
The difference between the first few weeks of caring for her first child and now her second , she commented , “ I feel less afraid . I know so much more and feel more prepared , which is much less stressful .”
Her advice to new moms : “ Don ’ t be to hard on yourself , take things slowly and be really patient with your first child . Henry was the center of attention and now he has to share . That ’ s a big adjustment .
“ Trust your instincts ,” added David .
GILROY • MORGAN HILL • SAN MARTIN APRIL / MAY 2018 gmhtoday . com
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