YOJ09-19 Mother & Child Pendant

Mother & Child Pendant (2009)
Sterling silver, formed, flame-worked
L 5.4 cm x W 2.4 cm

It’s Mother’s Day, so my piece this week is in honour of Motherhood.

I’ve had pregnancy on my mind a lot in the last week, because last weekend I had a miscarriage.  That was why I didn’t post anything for Week 18. What bugs me is not that I had the miscarriage – it’s that I had originally planned to wait until May 1 to do the pregnancy test.  Had I followed through, I would never have known I was pregnant.  Instead, I did the test on the 27th.  My husband was completely gobsmacked when I told him the news:  he thought I was too old to have any more babies.  I had to explain to him that even though I am of a somewhat advanced childbearing age, until I actually stop having periods, I can still get pregnant.  On the 30th I went to visit my GP, and that afternoon I started spotting.  I spent the evening at Emergency, where they took some blood and sent me home.  On Saturday, I started bleeding in earnest, so I went back to Emerg, where more blood tests and 5 hours of waiting confirmed what I already knew:  the pregnancy had aborted.

I knew the chances of this baby going full term were very slim.  I’m on medication that can cause birth defects, and, in the second and third trimesters, is toxic to the fetus.  Even that aside, this would have been an extraordinarily difficult and potentially life-threatening pregnancy because of my various health conditions.  I swear, my warranty ran out after I turned 40…

I’m sad, but not as upset as I was with the miscarriage two years ago.  More than anything, the experience has left both my husband and I wishing we had met ten years earlier.  I am able to take comfort in the idea that I am still “Mommy” to five children:  two I cuddle every day, and now three others I cuddle in spirit.

So, here is the Mother, full with her Child.  The design is a bit abstract, and I decided that it would not work without a bit of soldering.  I’ve wanted to do a Mother & Child piece for a long time, and, I’m pleased to finally have a design I like.

Happy Mothers Day to all the Mommies who read this :-).

More photos:

Etsy SATeam Mother’s Day Sale – April 24-26, 2009

The Starving Jewelry Artists Etsy Street Team is having a Mother’s Day Sale, starting at 16:00 EDT Friday, April 24 until midnight Sunday, April 26.  Participating shops are offering free worldwide shipping on all purchases.  For a list of shops joining the sale, check out the SATeam Blog.

Also keep your eyes peeled for Treasuries featuring SATeam items on Etsy.com, like this one:

Buy your mother something handmade for Mother’s Day!