When I arrived at the maternity ward in the evening with contractions, my husband and I were excitedly waiting for our fourth child. Our family was already considered “desperately large.”
Our second and third sons are twins — even though there had never been twins in our family before. During my next pregnancy, the family joke was: “What if it’s twins again?”
The grandparents were very surprised and had to help a lot in the beginning. At the second ultrasound scan, we could already tell if we were expecting twins again.
But no — the fourth “ninja” came alone. In the end, everything was behind us. I was placed in a private, single room that my husband and I had paid for in advance.
A few hours later, they brought me the baby for nursing. A few minutes later, the head doctor came in with a concerned expression and said:
— We have a small problem…
This morning, an 18-year-old girl gave birth to a baby girl, signed a relinquishment paper, called a taxi, and left the hospital.
She could barely walk after giving birth, but she didn’t want to stay a minute longer. We had to let her go.
The baby is beautiful and healthy. I know how much you wanted twins. So I thought… maybe you’d take this baby?
— We could write that you gave birth to her… — I just don’t want this child to end up in an orphanage. What kind of life is that for a baby? It breaks my heart… Of course, it’s illegal.
There is a way to initiate a formal adoption process, but it takes months and offers no guarantee. And until then, the baby would be in an orphanage.
It’s so sad… Honestly, I was stunned… I knew the head nurse, Lyudmila Stepanovna, very well. She was a kind and friendly woman. We even talked outside the hospital.
Maybe that’s why she came to me with such a “slippery” offer.
