I’ve followed the news story for the last 2 weeks; the orca whale mama, J-35 or Tahlequah, that has been carrying her baby- who died just thirty minutes after she gave birth to it- with her, unable to let it go. Reading with tears pouring down my cheeks, and praying for that poor animal that she would find the strength to let it go, I knew this story all too well. Just last night, I sat with Sean after having a little coffee table dinner date and we talked about it. I cried, telling him I feel like it would be better if these marine biologists monitoring the whale pod would just separate her from the dead calf because there was no way she could do it herself at that point. But I knew in my heart that be would wrong too. I cried because I felt for her and it was all too real; I knew what it was going to take for this poor mama to let her baby go. And today when I learned she was spotted and was no longer pushing her baby at the surface of the water, my heart broke. She had done it; after seventeen days and over one thousand miles, somehow she let her baby go. At least physically.
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| (PHOTOGRAPH BY ROBIN W. BAIRD, CASCADIA RESEARCH) National Geographic |
I often think about the moment we handed our sweet baby Jack back to the nurses, knowing we would never have him in our arms again. And I know that as I sat in the hospital holding Carter almost one year ago, I sobbed as I thought of that moment, wondering, as I held my precious, warm, pink baby, how I ever managed to give his older brother back. My mind reeling knowing I could never hand over the boy I was holding in my arms. To this day I don’t know how. Well that’s not entirely true. I gave him to Sean and I asked him to do it because I couldn’t bare to do it myself. That is something I’ve always prayed that deep down he didn’t resent me for-asking him to do the worst thing he’d ever have to do; to be stronger than I could be in that moment.
I’ve wondered, sometimes ruminated, about whether I should have kept Jack with us longer in the room; did we give him over too quickly? But as I’ve followed my ocean mammal counterpart all of these days, I know we did what we had to do, that every moment that past, the more my heart was attaching itself and the more impossible it would be for me to tear myself from him. So I wonder, what gave her the strength after sixteen days? Was it her family pod that followed, patiently, along with her? Did they just know that she needed more time- to grasp what had happened- to digest that her baby was really gone? Because I can relate to that as well.
The reports say she appeared to be in good spirits. I hope that it’s true and not just wishful thinking or anthropomorphizing on the part of the scientists. I hope they know too that maybe she is just having a good day and that there could be bad days ahead as well. I hope they realize that just because she let her calf’s body go she grieves still; that she is forever tied to that baby.
Do I feel silly for feeling so emotionally invested in this? A little. But us grieving mothers have to feel for each other, to offer up silent encouragement, and the “I feel for you” sentiments. I hope that this mama takes care of herself and her pod continues to surround her. And though she may never know it, the world knows her baby was here- even if only for a brief time- and it’s life mattered and the love she showed her little one did not go unnoticed.
