I had a second-trimester pregnancy loss 2 months ago. I had to serve a baby shower tonight.
My husband and I have been together for 10 years. We found out we were expecting our first earlier this year and were so excited. We listened to our son’s heartbeat and marveled at his little nose, and we were healthy. We were great. Until one day, we weren’t.
I won’t go into detail, but it was traumatic. Our loss was a three-week process that almost killed me, and I had to have emergency surgery. I was medically required to be off work for over a month. It was a lot.
I returned a few weeks ago. 13
I was sat tonight with a party of 8 and it was a baby shower for a little boy. They had a huge “It’s a BOY!” balloon surrounded my a bunch of small blue ones, and the Mom-To-Be had a large linen hamper full of her gifts. A bunch of onesies. Pacifiers. All the things I just had to box up. I was passing out their food, and got to the Mom’s entree, and the whole table was like “That’s for our Momma!” They had a cake, with little blue baby boots on top and they offered me a slice. I declined.
And I think that was the hardest point in my professional career. To serve that party with a smile and wit, and to look that woman in the eye and congratulate her.
I lost it in my car on the way home.
Side note: Cheers to all of us who show up and do our best, especially when our personal circumstances are tough. Customer service is next-level hard. 201