By Olga Campos Benz

It’s almost time for the first scheduled event that will allow me to introduce my book, It’s News to Me, to a close circle of friends.

I’m nervous and facing a flashback of nearly 27 years ago when I was pregnant with twins. Then, I worried about complications during delivery and about my girls’ weight and lung development (they weighed about 4 pounds each) and I wondered if they would be welcomed into this wacky world. At the time I was a news reporter and anchor for KRIV, the Fox affiliate in Houston. While hospitalized and waiting for delivery, I was keenly aware that a station photographer was also waiting outside in the hallway for my daughters to arrive so she could capture video of my newborns to share with viewers. That’s a lot of pressure for anyone waiting to give birth!

Now this book is my newest “baby” – and I wish I could ask for an epidural to ease the pain of delivery! It has taken years to bring this “baby” into the world – only this time I’m worried about the safe arrival of my “baby” from the publisher and whether my “baby” will be embraced by friends and loved ones and if my “baby” will be welcomed into this wacky world of literature (early reviews say YES!).

Looking back at childbirth, most moms hardly remember the stress or pain because those feelings are quickly replaced by pride and love. Let’s hope that’s true for my “book baby”, too.